The Flashmatic Chronicles: Origins at Ouran Academy
by Pass The Sugar
Summary: An old remote belonging to Mary's Nana holds some sort of magical powers. Like the ability to transport her and her friend Evie into any fandom they choose! When they discover it by accident, they need to figure out how to get out of Ouran Academy before they wreck the story - and see how much fun they can have with this remote on the way... Note: these girls are too old for this.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor am I affiliated with the _Ouran High School Host Club_ series or its associates. This is a terrible fan-made fanfiction. My apologies to Bisco Hatori at the get-go.

Well… Here I am! You can call me Moxy, but I'm already on fanfiction elsewhere under a different name. This account is reserved for shameless self-insert stories, and other general nonsense I didn't want clogging up my main account. So if you're bothered by self-inserts, you can just shut the door on your way out. xD

One thing I don't like is Mary Sue's, so I can promise that my characters are going to have depth and flaws just like anybody else. Mary Sue's just aren't as fun, you know?

This is the first story in a potential series of fandom jumping. If you don't get it now, you'll be well aware by the last click of your mouse. Many chapters, many shenanigans, and many conflicts later, of course! Oh. And I am only using information in the show. You'll understand why in a few chapters.

My best friend and I are the inserts. Try not to gag.

Enjoy! :D

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**Prologue**

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Evie spread out her sleeping bag, already knowing this was a terrible idea. She suppressed a yawn as she reached for her lumpy pillow and orange stuffed cat plushy. Her eye caught the time on the microwave clock. It was well past ten. Though, her friend insisted everything should be on the twenty-four hour clock, making it well past 22:00. _Yeah, this is a terrible idea._

Mary was blabbering away next to her television set, winging a DVD case around in the air and bouncing up and down as she waited for the disc to load. Her eyes were bright – and some might say maniacal – as she obsessively went on about the show they were about to watch. In full. "The characters are the best part; I just can't get enough of these guys. They're like long-lost friends, you know? And it can get pretty weird sometimes, and Japan and stuff, but it's really good! Since each episode is about twenty-three minutes, we should be able to get through it in… um… math…"

"How many episodes are there?" Evie asked, always willing to help out.

"Twenty-six?" Mary sheepishly said, hoping her friend wasn't deterred by the obscene length of the marathon they were about to endure. She was already embarrassed enough she was introducing her friend to an anime. And no matter how much she tried to kid herself and everyone around her, she knew she needed to just admit she liked _some_ anime, instead of pretending to be ignorant of the subject or refusing it entirely in public.

Evie held out her fingers like they were useful for this kind of counting as her eyes watched the ceiling in concentration. "So… ten hours?"

"Is that bad?" Mary asked, nervous once again as the beginning credits rolled on the TV behind her.

"We can do it!" Evie claimed optimistically, throwing her arms in the air.

"Woo!" Mary cheered, doing the same before tackling her bed at a run. The Funimation logo lit up the screen, and she started to bounce on her creaky bed.

"Excited?" Evie guessed, getting comfortable on the air mattress Mary provided for her. It stayed in her room all the time, just in case Evie - who practically lived at her house - needed to stay over on nights like these.

"You have no idea!" Mary complained, grabbing her stuffed monkey Melvin and squishing him tight. Her other hand was aimed at the DVD player, mashing the buttons that refused to skip the previews. "I've known about this show for _years_, and I'm finally going to get to talk about it with someone else! This is going to be so cool – you'll love it, I promise!"

Evie trusted her friend for the moment and propped her head up in her hands, lying on her stomach. The air mattress wobbled beneath her whenever she moved. The next preview they couldn't skip looked very strange – cartoons with over-sized eyes, under-sized skirts, and ridiculous issues. Evie was already losing faith in Mary's promise that she'd 'love it.'

"Oh my God, I'm so excited! Oh my God, I'm so excited! Oh my God, I'm so excited!" Mary chanted, completely enveloped in the title screen. Roses and beautiful string music seemed to fill the dark bedroom. The menu came up, showing different play options. "PLAY ALL! Ah, wait! I gotta pee!"

Her friend laughed as Mary fled from the room. "You're like a Chihuahua – you get excited, and you need to pee."

"Shut up!" Mary shouted indignantly, the bathroom door slamming behind her.

Evie reached for the discarded box set, flipping it over and scanning the back. "_Ouran High School Host Club_…" The animation reminded her of one of her favorite series: _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, but everything looked more exaggerated and girly. She plopped the box set down as Mary re-entered the room, buzzing around like she had too much sugar.

She hit the remote, clutching her stuffed monkey again. "Here we go!"


	2. The Dusty Flashmatic

Hey, thanks for the favorites and follows and stuff! I was… kind of expecting everyone to hate this. Strange. But thank you very much! :D

We're getting into the real chapters now, so get ready for plot, character development, and lots and lots of words! Yeah. All that stuff.

Thanks for reading!

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**The Dusty Flashmatic**

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On a dull, wintry Saturday evening, Mary slammed her car door with a yawn. Snowflakes were starting to spin in the cold air. She stretched her arms up to the sky and reached on her tip toes. Satisfied, she slung her canvas bag over her shoulder and made her way across the gravel drive to the house she grew up in.

The screen door creaked on its hinges as Mary struggled to open the second door. With a huff, she kicked the screen door back and forced the knob, successfully tumbling into her front hall, the doors crashing behind her. A few peaceful seconds ticked by before yowling and howling and squeaking rounded the corner, and Mary was met by her excitable pug Wendy.

"Down! Down, Wendy!" Mary said, kicking off her boots and hanging up her coat.

Wendy wasn't deterred by this rude greeting, stretching her paws up and clawing at Mary's khaki pants.

"Hello!" Her mother's voice called from the kitchen.

Mary shrugged off her ugly green polo shirt and shook out her long hair. "Hi!"

"Hello," her Nana smiled as Mary dodged Wendy to get to the kitchen where her grandmother sat. "How was your day?"

"Eh," Mary answered with a shrug. She blew the bangs from her eyes. "Is Evie here yet?"

"No, should we be looking out for her?" Mary's mother stirred some browning meat on the stove. "I didn't know she was coming."

"Whoops," Mary said. "Well, I invited her over about a half hour ago, so… she should be here within the hour."

Mary's mother smiled, rolling her eyes. "Well, we're having tacos tonight!"

"Super!" Mary shouted back, already pounding up the stairs to her room.

She opened the only closed door in the hall, taking a moment to look down across where her sister's empty room was. She shut the door behind her, already changing clothes where she was standing. Pulling on blue plaid pajama bottoms, Mary straightened her white undershirt and decided on a quick snack. Her chocolate stash was looking low, but she had some cherry cordials left – her favorite.

Mary nearly tripped over a plastic bag sitting by her dresser. A cordial still sticking out of her mouth, Mary looked curiously down at it. Kneeling, she opened the bag and found different Christmas ornaments and decorations found on their tree.

"Nana…" Mary rolled her eyes. Her Nana was becoming more forgetful with every passing day. The family would find all sorts of different things in strange places, from M&M's in the vacuum closet to sandwiches in coat pockets. It was an everyday occurrence, some days more fun than others.

Picking up the bag, Mary exited her room and went straight across the hall to her Nana's. It was a master bedroom with a very large window over-looking the roof of their porch and the rest of their backyard. It was a nice view, especially for sunsets, and Mary would often crawl out through the window to sit on the roof and watch the sky turn to night.

Mary wasn't sure where to put her grandmother's bag of knickknacks and decided on the bed where her Nana would be sure to see it. She popped another cherry cordial in her mouth that was slightly melted from the warmth of her hand. Suddenly curious, Mary turned to her Nana's long-forgotten vanity.

The mirror was huge, reflecting the entirety of Mary and the room behind her in excess. The blonde hair that reached down the middle of her back was looking particularly frayed from the wind outside and the polo shirt going over her head. Ignoring this, Mary turned her attention to a drawer that was slightly ajar. No one used the vanity anymore, not even her Nana. The top was dusted over with disuse, and most of the drawers were stuck closed from the wood bowing. _So why would one of them be left open?_

Kneeling, Mary swallowed her chocolate and wiped her sugar-coated hands on her pants. She tested the handle first, noting it was very loosely connected and not much use anymore. She carefully inched her fingers in the small crack, pulling and tugging to test its strength. The drawer seemed pretty sturdy. Setting her jaw, Mary grabbed the top of the drawer with both hands. She gave it a firm yank and it jerked open, sending Mary back on her butt.

_What in the world…?_ Mary held the long bangs out of her face as she righted herself, peering into the dark drawer's contents.

A single, thick red binder was next to some sort of… hair dryer? Pistol? Garden hose. Yes, it definitely looked like the nozzle of a garden hose.

Wrinkling her nose in confusion, Mary picked up the nozzle first. It was solid, cool metal. The green tint was covered in dust. The front end looked like a flashlight of some sort, and much like a pistol, had a red trigger button. There was a back panel full of buttons with different kinds of numbers and commands like a remote control. Faded gold print on the side read _Zenith _and underneath: _Flash-Matic_.

Mary ignored the binder, thinking it was nothing at the moment. She replaced the hose nozzle in the drawer and did her best to shut it, but it stuck worse and refused to close more than halfway. Grumbling, Mary stood and hurried to her computer to look up what on Earth the Zenith company was.

Not long after Mary opened up her laptop, Wendy started furiously barking again. Crawling across her bed, Mary peered out the window and saw headlights in the growing darkness. "Evie!"

Mary excitedly ran down the stairs, acting much like her screaming dog. She ran through the living room and to the door, pushing Wendy out of the way to open it. Wendy pushed herself by and propped her stubby legs up on the bottom glass of the screen door to see out. She squeaked and her curly tail spun when she saw who it was, a regular to the Porter home.

"Hey, Evie!" Mary called, opening the door. Wendy raced out into the cold, greeting her friend much like she was a member of the family.

Evie struggled to carry her pack, sleeping bag, and pillow as she fought off Wendy and tried to close her car door at the same time. When she got close enough, she breathed out a tired: "Hi!"

Mary took the sleeping bag from her with a bit of a fight on Evie's part, letting her into the house. Wendy scurried inside first, her brown fur clinging to Evie's pants already. "Dinner should be ready – you hungry?"

"Sure!" Evie nodded, dumping her stuff to take off her sneakers.

"Hi, Evie!" Mary's mother called.

"Hi!" Evie said again.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Mary urged. "I'm starving!"

"I'm coming, jeez!" Evie whined.

The mysterious Flashmatic went forgotten until later that night after food and reunions. Since Evie was home for her winter break from college, they would finally get to catch up and hang out like they did all summer. Mary should have been in school, too, the same year as Evie, but she had dropped out due to a mixture of financial incapability and general hatred of the school system. Also, a good dose of immaturity and a strong will to break from the norm.

Mary sat on her bed, a red lollipop in her mouth. Melvin, her pink stuffed monkey, was in her arms as she snuggled cross-legged in her blankets.

"So which one are we doing this time?" Evie asked, indicating the DVD menu lighting up the small television found in Mary's room.

"_Fruits Basket!"_ Mary exclaimed. "It's a lot like that other show I made you watch, but it actually has a plot. Well… a better plot, anyways. I just like the characters from _Ouran_ so much, I had to show you that one first. Besides, I just got _Fruits Basket_, so… party time!"

Evie curiously picked up the brand new box set and looked over the cover art.

Mary was still prattling on about the next ten-plus hour marathon they were about to push through. "You're totally going to love Tohru. She's such a great person; I want to try to be more like her. Even though that sounds pretty silly…"

"Nah…" Evie shook her head, snuggling with her orange stuffed cat. She was feeling really warm, but she didn't want to take her socks off. Evie almost never took her socks off.

"Oh! And you can't like the character I don't like – I don't know how I'll be able to talk to you," Mary warned, though it sounded dreadfully serious. "He just… no! He makes me so mad compared to – ah! Not telling you! You have to find out."

"Okay… let's start!" Evie cheered, flopping onto her sleeping bag. Her brown hair frizzed in her face, so she shook it out like a dog to right the problem, only tangling the mess further.

Mary laughed at her friend, opening up her laptop to quickly check her e-mails before they started the emotional roller coaster of a new show. But when her laptop opened, Google was already up with the letter 'Z' plugged into the search box.

"What's the matter?" Evie asked, seeing Mary's face screwed up in bewilderment.

"I was looking something up before, but I can't remember what it was… Doesn't that drive you crazy?" Mary mumbled, resting her chin in her palm as she put the lollipop back in her mouth.

"When I was at school this one time, I was doing the same thing when my roommate Casey interrupted me, and I couldn't remember," Evie nodded. "I still can't! And now I'm reminded how angry I am about it!"

Mary's eyes lit up, looking over at her bedroom door. The lollipop flew out of her mouth in a flash, raised victoriously over her head. "Aha! I remember!"

"Lucky you," Evie said, watching as Mary ran like a maniac out of her room. She waited a few seconds in silence before wandering up with her cat tucked close. Looking through the dark hallway, she could make out the vague figure of her friend in a room she had never entered before. "Maaary?"

"Evie, come look at this," Mary commanded in the dark. She was kneeling in the thick white shag carpet in front of some sort of dresser.

Evie carefully made her way through the room in the dark, not knowing where a light was if there was one. She stood over her friend and looked down at the open drawer. "I can't see a thing."

Mary rolled her eyes, standing up and nearly cracking her friend in the jaw with her skull. She tapped a light switch which illuminated the lights surrounding the vanity mirror. The glow wasn't much help, but it was better than nothing.

Trying again, Evie looked back at the drawer. A wrinkle formed on her brow as she stared at the strange-looking hair dryer. "What is it?"

"I don't know – what do you think it is?" Mary asked, picking it up and handing the Flashmatic over to her. "I was going to Google it, but I forgot."

"Kind of looks like a hair dryer," Evie said, inspecting the device. She noted the front end. "But this kind of looks like a flash light, doesn't it? It's probably a flash light. What's the book?"

Mary had forgotten about the binder. Picking it up, it was formidably heavy. She opened the top, the plastic crackling. "It's just a paper with a bunch of numbers on it."

"Numbers?" Evie asked curiously. She knelt down by Mary, suddenly engulfed in what looked to be a puzzle of some kind. And if there was one thing Evie was very good at, it was solving puzzles.

"There are dozens of them," Mary flipped through the yellow pages with little to no interest. Numbers were not her thing. What sparked her interest though were the titles of these pages. "_Casablanca? Top Hat? Rear Window? All in the Family?_ These are all movie titles! And TV shows… what is this?!"

Evie shrugged, making a sound like she didn't know. She spotted a page left underneath the book. It was on white notebook paper, and compared to the others, it looked impossibly new. "Hey, you forgot one."

Mary watched as Evie picked up the paper, reading over the numbers on it. It didn't have a title. Mary inspected the writing in the binder a bit closer, realizing that the numbers seemed to be some sort of strange type face, while the titles at the tops were distinctly in her Nana's hand-writing. Mary picked up the Flashmatic, noting the name before setting it back down.

"I'll go Google it!" Mary declared. She jumped up and ran back to her room for the laptop.

Evie picked up the Flashmatic, still absorbed in the loose leaf paper of codes. _Codes!_ They were sequenced together. Eyeing the Flashmatic, she found the button panel on the back. Accidentally pulling the trigger, a flash of light hit the vanity chair for a split second.

Evie jumped back in surprise. Mostly surprised that the flashbulb inside still seemed to work despite its obvious age. "It still works!"

"What's the name on it, again?" Mary called back.

"Zenith!" Evie shouted. She read further. "Flashmatic?"

"Thanks!" Mary echoed.

Evie studied the paper, looking back at the Flashmatic in her other hand. The first code string was 95320. She punched the numbers in and intuition told her to pull the trigger.

The Flashmatic sprung to life as expected, a bright light hitting the wall next to the vanity. But when the trigger was released, the light didn't disappear. Evie blinked in shock, unsure of what to do. _Had she broken it? Already?!_

Standing, Evie circled the Flashmatic. She was so surprised that she had dropped it in her haste. Looking back and forth between them, the wall was still lit up, but the bulb of the Flashmatic was dark.

"Where's the light coming from?" Evie wondered aloud. She waved her hand in front of the Flashmatic to test it. Nothing happened. Was she just seeing things?

Evie wandered up to the light still on the wall, a large oval like that of a flashlight beamed at the wall. It was rather glaringly blinding in the dim room. But she had seen herself that the Flashmatic wasn't on anymore. Evie put her hand over the space of the wall, wondering if she had accidentally blinded herself with the stupid flashbulb and this was all in her head. But when she placed her hand on the light, a strange force tickled through her arm.

Before she was sucked in completely.

Evie didn't have time to let out a shriek of surprise before her entire body was pulled into the light. The oval closed behind her like a blinking door, going out like a candle. A light trail of smoke exited the wall where Evie and the door had been moments before, but it too faded fast.

"It's just a remote!" Mary announced, cheerily re-entering the room. "All that fuss over a silly TV remote made in the 50s for those ancient… Evie?"


	3. Plot Wrecker

Yay, we're finally here! Thanks for reading, everybody!

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**Plot Wrecker**

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"_Aaaaahhh!_" Evie's scream finally released as cool wind blew past her face. Bright white light blinded her, so she shielded her eyes with an elbow as she stumbled onto new floor. Her feet touched smooth, icy tile. Blinking in confusion, Evie peeked up from her arm.

Beautiful, crystal clear blue sky was the first thing she saw through spotless windows - stretching up to an impossibly high ceiling. In fact, the color of blue seemed impossible. Evie had never seen a more perfect sky. Like it had been drawn or painted in.

Quickly turning around, Evie found herself facing an ornate wall. Strangely enough, the semblance of a dark oval was rapidly shrinking in on itself. Evie grabbed for it, but it closed as her hand made contact, a light trail of smoke slipping between her fingers.

_Well… this is new._

Evie turned around again, looking up and down the long, empty hallway. It seemed like she was in some sort of palace or ritzy hotel. Looking down at her pink pajama bottoms and baggy white T-shirt, she certainly wasn't dressed for a place as fancy as this. At least she wasn't barefoot – she still had her socks. And her orange stuffed cat clenched tightly in her fist.

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Evie continued to peer around at her environment. She pulled an elastic band from around her wrist and gathered her hair. _Did she hit her head on the vanity? Was this all a dream?_ The elastic snapped her locks into a tight, controlled ponytail high on her head. Her hair was still long enough for the tail to swish her shoulders.

The distinct sound of laughter caught her ear, and she panicked. _Look how she was dressed! She'd be so embarrassed!_

Evie looked left and right, squeaking in fright. "This is just like that dream when I went to biology in my underwear!" Because Evie was one of those lucky people to dream like that.

She chose right, hugging her cat, and dashing as fast as she could. The laughter grew into obvious male chatter. _Great! They better not see me, or I'll never live this down!_

The long hallway turned right suddenly, so Evie took the opportunity and dived. The boys rounded the corner, not noticing her as they approached. Evie hid behind a baroque pillar, closing her eyes to make herself feel more invisible.

"No, but that Greek test was insane," one of them complained. "And I studied all night!"

"Your father's not going to like hearing about that," the other commented as they crossed her side hall.

"I know…" the first sighed in defeat. "But maybe if I can ace all of my other classes, he won't be so mad."

"As the future head of an electronics company, I don't see why you'd need Greek anyways," his friend supported him.

The boys casually passed by without noticing her. Evie let out a sigh of relief and stood out in the open once again. Their jargon made even less sense to her than the high-vaulted ceilings. _Greek tests? Electronics company? Where was she?!_

"First, clothes," Evie decided. Then she'd have a look around. If she was dreaming, it was really rather lucid and realistic. That was different, but not altogether unwelcome. _Maybe she could do anything… like fly!_

Evie walked carelessly back into the long hallway, mulling over the possibilities of God-like control of the world when she walked straight into another person.

"Sorry, I didn't see you coming—"

"Ah, sorry! My fault, sorry!" Evie repeated, stooping to pick up the fallen notebook. The pages were bent awkwardly from the collision. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt this – I have another notebook at home you can have!"

"Hey, calm down. It's just a notebook," the stranger said.

Evie stood back up, batting bewildered blue eyes at chocolate brown ones. _Oh, no… it was one of those she-males. She's going to say something totally awkward and inappropriate and offend them! Why couldn't they get a more gender identifiable outfit? Not even a haircut?!_

The stranger adjusted the bulky glasses gone askew on their nose, watching Evie chew her lip in worry. "Um… you okay? …Why are you in your pajamas?"

Evie's eyes bugged, quickly hiding her stuffed cat behind her back. "What?!"

"It's not exactly dress code," they pondered, wondering about their own frumpy dark sweater. "Though, I guess I'm not with the dress code either!"

"Erm, uh…" Evie quickly came up with an excuse, avoiding the shorter person's gaze. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"Fair enough," she laughed, suddenly more girlish. She put a hand in her short, messy brown hair at the back of her head. "I'm Haruhi Fujioka. You're gonna be surprised, but I think you're the most normal person I've met here so far."

"Haruhi…?" Evie wondered, surprised she hadn't recognized her before. _But… how could it be?! There's no way…! It can't be _that_ Haruhi… From that show Mary made her watch?!_ "Uh… Uh… Um, I'm…"

"Hey, are you okay?" Haruhi asked, lending a steady arm to the stumbling Evie.

Evie jumped at her touch, more shocked it didn't go through her like a ghost of her subconscious. No, it was real. All too terrifyingly _real_.

"I'm fine!" Evie chirped, finding herself hugging her cat protectively. She gave Haruhi a once over again, still in disbelief. "I've um… heard about you! The new transfer student, right?"

Haruhi seemed surprised. "Really? I didn't know it was a topic…"

"Well… it is!" Evie stated awkwardly. She felt sick to her stomach. She quickly sidestepped the girl, saluting her and heading further on down the windowed hall. "It's been nice meeting you!"

"Er, right…" Haruhi nodded. _Guess the girl was stranger than she first guessed._ With a shrug, Haruhi padded on down the carpeted hall that Evie had come from, not realizing her quest for a quiet room to study had been radically changed.


	4. After Evie

Thanks for the review – that was super sweet! An extra thanks to the new favorites, follows, and readers. :D

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**After Evie**

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Mary paused, silently surveying the dim room. She strode to the desk in the far corner, struggling to turn the knob of the lamp. It switched on and bathed the room in yellow light. Turning around, Mary checked over the room again.

Closets. Bed. Vanity. No Evie.

Perplexed, Mary went to the hall bathroom, finding the door open. _Maybe she got a snack?_

"Hey, Evie!" Mary called, hopping down the steps two at a time. She swung around the corner and skidded to a halt in her empty kitchen. "Evie?"

Now even more confused, Mary trudged back up the stairs. She peered into her open bedroom, noting the orange glare of the paint and 70s shag carpeting. Mary went to the window and squinted out into the night. _Well, Evie's car was still there… but where was she?!_

Right when Mary was about to visit her parents to see if Evie was there, she tripped over one of the many DVD cases cluttering the floor around her television. She was about to kick it aside when she noticed the cover. It was her box set of Ouran.

Mary studied the shiny pink silhouettes decaled on the front of the box. One silhouette towards the center particularly caught her interest. _That's funny. Haruhi never had a ponytail…_

The disappearance of her friend was put to the back of the mind in favor of this new mini mystery. Mary flipped the box around and read the usual story summary. "Blah, blah, blah, handsome boys in the Host Club, blah, blah, blah, ritzy Ouran, blah, blah, blah, fantasies come true…"

Mary read on until the second paragraph. "Oh, and don't forget the newcomer, Evie."

She recoiled in shock, reading it again. "—don't forget the newcomer… _Evie_." It distinctly printed her name. Her friend's name. Not Haruhi's. _Evie_.

Her eyes widened in horror. Quickly examining the girl posed next to the text box holding a bouquet of flowers, Mary was shocked to see her friend as a cartoon smiling back at her. _Evie was part of the box art!_

Mary yelped in surprise, tossing the box to the floor and scooting away. Suddenly wild with panic, Mary rushed back into her Nana's room where she last saw her best friend.

"Evie!" Mary shouted more urgently, not finding her friend where she hoped she would. She began to pace. _Was she going crazy?! Maybe it was some sort of elaborate prank… But Evie wasn't diabolical enough for something so complicated!_

Her foot kicked a hard metal object. First damning her toe, Mary found the Flashmatic in the shag carpet. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands.

Shaking her head, Mary ran back down the stairs with the Flashmatic in hand. "Evie! Hey, Evie!"

"Why are you shouting, dear?" Mary's Nana complained, sitting in her recliner in the living area. The television was on with Jay Leno.

"Have you seen Evie?" Mary asked breathlessly, panic seeping into her voice.

Her grandmother's eyes locked onto the object still in her fist. "Where did you get that…?"

Mary pushed the bangs from her face in exhaustion, the hand with the Flashmatic coming to rest sassily on her hip. "I keep calling, but I think she must've ran off somewhere, or this is some really strange practical—"

"_That!_ Where did you find that?" Her Nana demanded, rising out of her seat at an alarming rate.

Mary quieted as fear marred her expression. She had never seen her grandmother act in such a way. Eleanor Sherwood was a meek, gentle creature – a typical grandmother except her cooking skills were terrible. Mary couldn't think of a time when her Nana had yelled at her in such a way. Or strangely reminded her of Gollum.

She looked at the Flashmatic, bringing it up before her grandmother, her head bent low in embarrassment. "I was in your room giving back some of your stuff that I found lying around when I noticed your vanity drawer open…"

"Mary!" She scolded. But it didn't sound so much as a reprimand as concern. "Did you use it? Hit any of the numbers on the back?"

"No," Mary shook her head. She amended her statement, twiddling her fingers. "Well, I pulled the trigger a couple times. It just looked like a flashlight."

"Where's Evie?" Her Nana asked, hurrying up the stairs.

Mary followed close behind the elderly woman. She expected to take the stairs slow, but she found herself jogging to keep up with her. "I asked _you!_ I can't find her anywhere!"

"This is bad… dreadfully, terribly bad…" her Nana mumbled, shaking her head. "Where was she last?"

"In there. Over by the vanity," Mary pointed to her grandmother's room.

Her Nana let out another groan of despair and quickly inspected the room. She gasped when she picked up the book of her old memoirs. "Did you use any of these on the Flashmatic?"

"Nana, what's going on?" Mary asked, feeling a horrible pit forming in her stomach. She lifted the white notebook paper with the unmarked numbers, looking over the series. "You're not telling me something. It's painfully obvious. Just spill. What the heck is that thing?"

Though her grandmother didn't take kindly to her use of the word 'heck,' she sighed and held her book tight. She lifted the Flashmatic to attention, beaming it around the walls with one eye closed like a renegade. "This… is something I'm much too old for."

Mary was about to protest when her grandmother looked into her eyes, letting the remote control fall into her waiting hands – hands that Mary didn't even realize she was offering until the cold metal touched her fingers.

"But you…" her Nana's blue eyes twinkled as she smiled sadly. "Might be able to right this."

Mary looked at the Flashmatic and frowned. "So… what is it?"

"When I was young, I came across this remote control. Back when it was new – don't tell me how long ago that was; I'm well aware," she warned, holding up a hand. "It was with a lone sheet of paper. Strings and strings of numbers. A code, of sorts."

Mary had a feeling this was going to be a longer monologue than she originally expected. She shifted her weight to her other hip, studying the Flashmatic as her Nana's story unfolded.

"I found that most models of the Zenith Flashmatic didn't have button panels. In fact, I am positive that this is the only one. I have never encountered another," her eyes grew misty in memory. "This device was able to transport me to any universe I chose, fictional or otherwise – all at the input of a few identifying numbers."

Mary's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me, right?"

She ignored her granddaughter's sarcastic tone. "I found I could do anything I pleased in these worlds. Treat them like any film I could watch with a player at home. The more I travelled, the more pages I would find. They seemed to gravitate to the Flashmatic. Like it was begging me for adventure.

"But I soon found out it wasn't so easy. The stories became marred with my presence. Sometimes they would change their course or stop altogether. But every time, without fail, I had changed the world I entered. Sometimes it was for the better… I even realized that I was needed, in due time."

"Nana, what on Earth does any of this have to do with anything?!" Mary asked, shaking her head. "You can't expect me to believe that you used to be a dimension hopper because some remote control from the 50s could magically transport you through time and space and change…"

Her Nana waited, a knowing look coming upon her face as she studied Mary.

_The box art! Evie! It wasn't a lie… Evie was in Ouran! Changing the story!_

"So," her Nana stated. "You know where she is."

Mary felt sick, clutching the Flashmatic tighter. "But… Nana, what do I do? This is crazy!"

"There are crazier things, I'm sure," she brushed this doubt aside, guiding Mary to an empty spot in the room. "I see you have your codes? You have to input the first set – that should get you to the beginning. Well, usually. You never really know with these things. Whatever you do – don't lose that paper or the Flashmatic. Find your friend and get out. You need to get yourselves out of the timeline and mend the story."

"Or…?" Mary dared to ask. Her sarcasm was quickly coming back as the idea that magic could be real and manifest itself in remotes settled in the back of her mind.

"Or you can't come back," she said.

Mary shrank a bit. She was getting that sick feeling again.

Her Nana aimed the Flashmatic at the floor in front of Mary. Mary could hardly believe what she was doing as her fingers found the 9, the 5, the 3, the 2—

"I-I can't!" She whimpered. Her Nana kept her hand steady at the floor.

"Of course you can!" Her grandmother scolded. Even though she was much shorter and older, she had a vice-like grip. "I'd been doing this for years, and I'm still around! Just make sure the story ends how it's supposed to."

"But—!" Mary squeaked.

Too late. Her Nana had pushed the last number: 0 and pulled the trigger for her. Mary gasped as a white circle of light parted the carpet in a milky mirage. She squinted at the scene below her, trying to make out the blurry details.

Mary barely had time to remember she should probably change into more suitable clothes when she felt herself reeling over the side. Despite her efforts to regain her balance with ridiculous arm flails, Mary wound up falling face first into the hot light, shrilly screaming all the way.

"And have some fun!" Her Nana's voice echoed down to her, already feeling far away.

Cold air rushed past her face in a free fall. She couldn't see. There was a light tingling sensation like all of her limbs fell asleep. But everything came rushing back so quickly, Mary barely opened her eyes in time to see solid concrete in front of her nose.

"URK!" Mary braced herself for impact, but the fall was inevitable. She roughly landed on her stomach, her hair splayed around her in a mass.

Coughing and spitting out blonde strands, Mary pushed herself up and looked back at the sky. The oval of light was shrinking just a few feet above her head – the fall that felt like stories. There was only darkness in it, but she could have sworn she saw a hand waving in the dim background before it disappeared completely.

Mary pulled herself to her feet. She inspected herself and dusted off the gravel and dirt swept onto the sun-beaten sidewalk she was standing on. Her cold, bare feet welcomed the warmth, but the sharp rocks were another story.

Finding out too late, Mary found the Flashmatic still in her hand – her knuckles white from holding onto it – but the notebook paper missing. Frantically searching around her, she found the page fluttering into the middle of a white, neatly kept gravel drive.

The girl made a dive for it, snatching it out of the wind's clutches. She straightened herself in victory, finally about to take in her surroundings.

_EEEEEEPPPP_ The roar of a car horn made Mary jump out of her skin. She whirled out of the way just in time before a limousine went careening through the tall open gates.

"Asshole!" Mary cried after the oblivious driver, even though the fault was hers. The coast clear, Mary re-entered the drive and peered after the expensive car.

It felt like a rock wedged into her throat. Great, tall buildings with spires and massive windows and courtyards and fountains and trees stretched out for what felt like miles before her. A few birds lighted from the cherry trees, rising into the perfect, crystal blue sky. An enormous clock tower chimed the hour.

In spite of herself, she couldn't help but remember the famous monologue and string music that played at the beginning of one of her favorite cartoons – now brought to life before her very eyes. _A playground for the super rich and beautiful…_

"Oh, dear… Ouran Academy, eh? Evie, you better be in here…" Mary hugged her bare shoulders and began the lengthy trek up the drive. "What the hell did I smoke today…?"


	5. Music Room 3

Another review?! Thanks so much switchpersonalities! This chapter is for you~ And also my annoying friend who keeps bugging me to update. I guess you can thank, Evie, too for this chapter. xD And honestly, it's the one you've all been waiting for. :3

* * *

**Music Room #3**

* * *

Evie meandered down the halls, staring wide-eyed at the ceilings unfolding before her. She passed closed doors, wondering what monsters could be behind their regal surfaces. Monsters of a cartoon world Evie knew for a fact _was not real!_

"Oh…" Evie moaned, clutching her cat even tighter. If she dared squish the poor orange plush harder, the seams connecting its head might threaten to tear. "This is so wrong… I shouldn't be here…! How do I wake up…?!"

Though she tried pinching herself and running into walls, Evie found only pain in these trials and abandoned these methods to stop her dreaming. All she could do was let her feet carry her through the echoing hallways, trying to sort out the world around her. And the person she had met.

_Haruhi… Fujioka… Good Lord, does that mean the others are…?_

Evie turned a corner, her only path, and looked at the many ornate doors before her. Everything had an obnoxious pink glow she wasn't altogether too fond of. She enjoyed the fresh flowers everywhere though. _Those were nice._

To her convenience, if she was in a fictional world, she was luckily in an English-speaking one. And the first sign hanging above the door had white lettering on a clean black background. Evie blinked. "Music Room number… three."

_It's here. It's right here! Right in front of her! Would they really be in there? Did they all exist?!_

But Evie couldn't forget herself. She stopped her hand before it touched the handle, biting her lip. _Haruhi isn't in the host club yet… Maybe that's happening right now!_

Finally making up her mind, Evie firmly twisted the handle and drew the door in. Though she was excited in expectation of one of her favorite scenes, the room before her proved quite different.

The first person she saw was a dark-haired boy with glasses, busily clicking away at the keyboard of the laptop in front of him. He was wearing the familiar blue boys' uniform, making Evie hold her breath as she quickly surveyed the others in the room. The tallest in the room had a shock of black hair and a tray of desserts in his hands. He set the sweets in front of his miniature friend who was happily eating the cakes like no tomorrow, merrily swinging his legs back and forth. The twins were sharing a sofa, one staring down at a handheld game and the other lying across his lap, tossing a hacky sack in the air and catching it over and over again. And the famous blond boy was standing behind the table where Kyoya sat, his hands on his hips. He looked up in innocent surprise, eyes locking with Evie.

"You were saying?" Kyoya prompted, turning to him. Following his gaze, he quieted when he spotted Evie in the open doorway, shaking in her socks.

The silence of their king prompted all of the boys to stop what they were doing and look towards the door and the strange girl standing there in her pajama pants.

"Gentlemen," Tamaki's winning smile suddenly graced his face as he fell into character. "It appears we have an early guest."

Evie squeaked, holding up her cat to shield herself from their eyes. _Oh, God, they were real! Too real! In fact, they looked exactly like they did in the cartoon – but they were all staring at her! Their piercing eyes BURN!_

"Sorry, boss, we don't work before hours," one of the sassy orange-haired twins shrugged, going back to his game. Evie assumed he was Hikaru if she remembered his voice correctly.

"Yeah," the one who must be Kaoru slung his arms over the back of the sofa to appraise her. He cocked an eyebrow. "Who is this anyway?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose with his middle finger, studying Evie. The light shifted on the glass, allowing her to see his eyes peering at her underneath. "You know, I'm not familiar with this particular student."

"Maybe she's a first year!" Honey's cheery voice suggested.

"Pajamas," Mori stated, the only one to make this observation.

"No matter!" Tamaki magically appeared beside her, making her jump. He placed a firm, comforting hand on her shoulder. "As the Ouran Host Club, it is our job to make every girl happy! So, my dear, how may we help you?"

Evie turned red at his proximity, quickly wriggling out of his grasp. The action made the confused and blank expression return to Tamaki's face. "Um! Um! Um!"

"Hey~!" Honey whirled her around, grabbing onto one of her arms like a vine. Evie staggered as she turned to face him, having to bend nearly in half in order to do so. "What a cute cat! She reminds me of Usa-chan! Do you want to see Usa-chan~?"

"Uh, erm, sure," Evie managed, watching as what looked like a nine year old skipped back to her cradling a pink rabbit in his arms.

"Usa-chan, say hi to… oh," Honey blinked a few times. "I don't know your name."

"Well, I was going to name him Kyo, but I don't know what's real anymore. So let's stick with Fluffy," Evie said, holding her cat forward.

"I meant you, silly!" Honey laughed.

It was Evie's turn to blink. She let out a nervous chuckle, unsure if she should lie or not. Her mouth made the decision for her. "Evie!"

"That's such a cute name!" Honey said, squeezing his bunny rabbit. "You should come and have cake with us!"

"Maybe some other time—oof!" Evie spun on her heel and went face first into someone else. She jumped back from Mori's chest as he looked down at her curiously.

"Leaving so soon, my lady?" Tamaki interjected, taking up her hand in his own with a bow. He didn't realize how creepy his question would sound to anyone of sane mind. "Normally, our guests enjoy a spot of tea before—"

"I know what you're all about!" Evie stated, releasing her hand from his grasp. Everyone stared at her in confusion as she backed away. "J-Just let me… get this straight… You're all… _here_… and so am _I_…! Oh, dear…"

"Hey, watch it!" Kaoru shouted.

Evie twirled and found an elaborate, tall Renaissance vase inches from her nose. Not just any Renaissance vase. _The_ vase. Her face contorted in horror as she drew her cat back to her, her arm having swung around and made the pedestal wobble. Reaching out in what felt like slow motion, Evie grabbed for the tipping handle and—

_CRASH!_

She stared in shock at the pieces scattered across the floor. The porcelain in all too terribly familiar shards on the cold, hard tile of this new reality. _Her_ reality!

"Aw," Hikaru whined. He had set down his video game and was sitting on the back of the couch with his brother mirroring him. "That Renaissance vase was supposed to be featured in the school's upcoming auction!"

"Now we're out eight million yen," Kaoru grumbled, blowing a sad sigh in unison with Hikaru.

"Eight million what?!" Evie shrieked. She cowered towards the door, hoping to get the heck out of there and _get home_.

"Think nothing of it, fair maiden!" Tamaki swept a consoling arm around her shoulders. Looking her straight in the eye with sincerity that made her blanch, he said: "The vase in its entirety couldn't compare to the delicate flower that is your beauty~"

Kyoya had walked across the room and picked up one of the stray shards. He inspected the piece and crossed his arms. "Still, Tamaki, I don't think this is a debt to be ignored…"

"Just have your parents reimburse us," Hikaru waved her off with indifference.

"You can afford it, right, Evie-chan~?" Honey asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh…" Evie gulped. "What's a yen…?"

"Uh-oh," the twins turned to each other, holding up questioning hands. "Now what are we gonna do?"

"We're going to have a little fun," Tamaki announced. The twins' eyes gleamed at the opportunity while everyone else waited for further explanation. Tamaki held his own chin thoughtfully before pointing at Evie with finality. "Miss Evie is going to work off her debt, and as Hosts, we're going to make sure she finds happiness!"

"She never said she was unhappy," Kyoya reminded from the corner, killing the triumphant atmosphere. In fact, Evie could have sworn that such victoriously thrilling music had just been playing or her ears were messing with her. "And I doubt anything you could do could make her so."

"Why do you have to shoot me down…?" Tamaki pleaded, head hung low.

"I have to… work it off?" Evie asked nervously. "I-I can't be a Host! I'm a girl!"

"That you are!" Tamaki smiled, suddenly perking up again considerably. "And you don't seem to be a very fulfilled girl at that! It is now our mission as the Host Club to make Evie happy!"

"While she pays off her debt," Kyoya interjected.

"While she pays off her debt!" Tamaki repeated, once again pointing at her with confidence.

Evie stared at the finger, feeling like she might faint. _Mary would _never_ believe this…_


	6. Attack on the Host Club

Wow, you guys are so sweet! Thanks Hello-Nanabanana for the review! All of your questions will be revealed in due time. :)

This chapter is bound to be a bit longer than the last. Sorry the chapters with Evie are shorter, but I'm still getting a hand on her character, and it needs some experimentation. But not to worry – chapters from here on out are about to get pretty lengthy now that we've got our setup. Thanks for reading!

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**Attack on the Host Club**

* * *

Mary had found what she _thought_ was the high school. The whole conglomeration of buildings was Ouran Academy, but it was practically impossible to know where to go. Especially since she couldn't just walk up to someone and ask for directions because not only was she an intruder in their world, she was also wearing unsightly plaid pajama pants. And she knew these monstrously rich kids wouldn't let her hear the end of it.

Her bare feet resting in the cool grass, Mary peered up at the tall stone wall. She had made her rounds and decided that this was her best shot at getting inside since she couldn't very well use the front door. It was the only open window she had come across. But it was just out of her reach.

_Come on, Mary. Evie's probably hopelessly lost, ruining the story beyond repair while you loiter under this sill. Now… jump!_

Her pep talk did the trick. Taking it at a run, Mary flung herself at the window sill, grabbing onto it with both hands. Using her feet to kick off the wall, Mary struggled and pulled herself up to her elbows. Once she stretched one of her feet up to the sill, it was smoother sailing. Mary lifted the last of herself and tumbled onto the hard tile inside.

"Ow…" Mary grumbled, rubbing her sore bottom. The room she was in was rather dark, and it didn't seem to be a student section. Desks and chairs piled on each other in excess, and a broom and mop were in the corner. A storage closet?

Mary groped around in the dim room, the only light coming from the sun outside the window she had entered. Dust came up in clouds on whatever she touched, but she finally found a door.

She stopped, staring at a large mirror propped against the wall by the door. It had a beautifully gilded frame, set with intricacies Mary couldn't imagine trying to design. But her reflection startled her and sent her heart racing.

Her hair had a simpler cut and rather impossible volume for her flat style. Her eyes were wide and large – a chocolate brown that was accentuated tenfold. She barely had a nose, and her lips were very small since they went unpainted. The freckles on her face were more evenly spaced and less in number. Her clothes were less wrinkled and their colors more well-defined. _She was a cartoon._

Mary had never had a caricature done, and she had certainly never been in a cartoon before. Her appearance was quite a shock to her. Her body didn't _feel_ any different. She didn't feel any less real. _But didn't she look it!_

The girl touched her reflection, barely believing that it was the same hand connecting with her. "Wow…" She clenched her fists, trying to get a feel of this new found power. _The things she could do!_ She could grow and climb and do ridiculous things and not get hurt – then again, cartoons were hurt often but never permanently. "Weird."

Half-wondering if she'd recognize Evie when she saw her, Mary tried to keep the box art in mind and left the storage closet. Before she shut the door, she saw a discarded beige tote with the Ouran logo on it. She quickly snatched it.

The perfectly spotless hall outside was ominously quiet. Mary was quick to close the door behind her and start the search for her friend. She tucked the Flashmatic and the paper of codes in the bag, slinging the strap over her head and around her shoulder. She took a deep breath.

Mary admired the ornate walls as she walked alone in the empty wing of the school. Unbeknownst to her, the wing was not empty but full of students silently testing in every closed door she passed. For a school, it was completely foreign of any kind of school things. There were no fliers for clubs or cheesy posters telling students to work hard. Everything was designed to look like a baroque art studio. High-vaulted ceilings and intricate abrasions. It was clean and lovely, but Mary felt it was lacking in that homey feeling that high schools tended to have.

The quiet broke all at once. One moment she was alone and the next, students were pouring out of their classrooms holding books and chattering and laughing at the end of their school day.

Mary paled and attempted to blend in, her head hung low. She heard giggles swirling around her, but she tried to ignore anyone and everyone. She closed her eyes tight and plowed ahead.

_Think! Evie was on the box. She's in Haruhi's shoes. That means I've got to find Music Room #3!_

Taking another deep breath, Mary approached a trio of girls wearing ridiculously poofed yellow dresses. They had varying hairstyles, but since they weren't main characters, their faces all generally looked the same.

"Ahem," Mary cleared her throat, putting on her brightest smile. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her bag's strap, relaying her nerves despite her apparent confidence. "Hi! Do you girls know where I can find Music Room 3?"

"Where?" One of the girls wrinkled her nose, staring down at Mary's pants.

Before she could make a rude comment, one of the others chimed in. "Music Room 3? You mean the Host Club?"

"The Host Club!" The girl in the middle gasped. "Oh, I love those guys! Aren't they the dreamiest?!"

"Totally!" The first answered, her attitude suddenly completely turning around. "Mori-senpei is so strong and tall and handsome!"

"Kyoya-senpei's the greatest!" The second argued, holding her blushing face.

"No way – I'd only go to visit the prince!" The first declared. She hung her head and blushed. "He's so poetic and charming~!"

_Great. I found a bunch of vapid first years._ Hearts seemed to be floating above the girls in an accumulating cloud. Mary smiled politely, interrupting them. "Well…! Where can I find them?"

The girls turned on her in an instant. "It's a very exclusive club – not just anyone can walk in!"

"Besides, it's very formal," the original girl wrinkled her nose again at Mary's pajamas.

"Um," a small voice piped up from behind her. Mary turned to see a kind looking girl with matching buns on either side of her head. "I heard you're looking for the Host Club?"

"Yeah," Mary sighed.

"It's in Music Room Number 3, just up a floor and west of here," the girl smiled.

"Thank you!" Mary said, hurrying off as quickly as she could. _Fangirls were scarier than she remembered! And so protective – sheesh._

Mary bounced up the steps two at a time, passing surprised students as they got out of her way. Taking a turn, she hurried down hall after winding hall. The students that had crowded her had now dissipated to a few stragglers here and there. When she came upon the quietest hall, she knew she had found the right place.

She took in the surreal feeling the blackboard sign held hanging over her head. '_Music Room #3 Now in Session'_

_Evie's going to be behind that door. She has to be! And the second I find her, I'm going to get us the hell out of here._

Mary stood firm, staring at the double doors. She could hear the faint clink of china and girlish laughter beyond. Setting her shoulders and swinging her bag out of the way, Mary boldly turned and kicked the doors open with all her might.

_BOOM._

The echo of the doors slamming against the walls caught the attention of most people in the room. The music room was bigger than Mary expected. Her eyes roved over the groups of girls huddled around their respective favorite hosts. Directly across the room from her, Mary recognized a maid outfit that suspiciously looked like the one the twins forced Kasanoda into in a late episode. But a girl with a bouncy brunette ponytail was wearing it instead. Her face was beet red as two ginger boys taunted her and teased her outfit.

Mary's pupils shrunk in realization. "_Evie!_"

The girl looked up in surprise at the call of her name, seeing a cartoon version of her best friend in the open doorway. But before she could say a word, Mary was charging at her full speed. Or rather – someone next to her.

Mary remembered she was a cartoon, which gave her not only confidence, but extra power to her anger. The blonde sprinted across the room, covering the distance in a breath.

"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU PERVERTS!" Mary screamed, tackling Hikaru first. She leapt upon his shoulders, making him stagger, but he surprisingly kept his balance. She pounded her fists down onto his head like she was hammering in a nail.

"Get this thing off of me!" Hikaru cried to his brother, wincing as he tried to pry Mary off.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru gasped in concern. The fangirls around the room were bubbling in excitement at this real danger and the real brotherly love and protection happening before their hungry eyes. Kaoru tried to grab one of Mary's fists, but she reacted quicker – clamping down his hand with her teeth.

"Mary…?" Evie was staring in shock, pulling the maid's skirt down further.

"Ow! She bit me!" Kaoru whined.

"How dare you touch Evie and put her in demeaning, sexualized outfits!" Mary ranted, continuously pounding the poor twin's head.

"Somebody help me!" Hikaru plead, cowering to the floor and holding his head against her attack.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms grabbed Mary from all around, lifting her off of Hikaru. Restrained, Mary struggled and looked down. She was impossibly high off of the ground, meaning only Mori could be holding her.

"What's the meaning of this?" A blonde boy came upon the scene with wide eyes. Mary blanched, realizing she was coming face to face with one of her favorite cartoon characters of all time – with a very bad impression of herself.

Mary kicked once again, but she realized she couldn't do much held against Mori. Her face darkened as she looked down past Mori's arms hugging her around the middle and keeping her arms at her sides. She found Evie wide-eyed staring back up at her. She looked impossibly innocent – her eyes huge and cutesy. Mary had nearly forgotten that cartoon's personalities were often disclosed in the shape of their eyes. It was appropriate then that her own eyes were slanted mischievously like the twins, and Evie's were as childish and large as Honey's.

"What are you doing here?!" Mary demanded of Evie. The Hosts had gathered around them by this time, watching the exchange between the friends.

"I don't know!" Evie wailed, again trying to pull the ridiculously short skirt lower. "But I owe them a vase!"

"YOU DIDN'T," Mary's jaw dropped.

"It was an accident!" Evie cried. Still, she was glad she wasn't alone anymore... Even if Mary was acting like a wolverine.


	7. Caged

Wow, I got three reviews last chapter! Thank you so much to the Guest, switchpersonalities, and Hello-Nanabanana! Since the last chapter was delayed because of my internet issues, and I'm just so grateful for your reviews, I decided to double update! Cool, two chapters, one day!

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy reading!

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**Caged**

* * *

"Put her in isolation!"

Before either Evie or Mary knew what was happening, the bag was taken from her and Mori freed her. Mary staggered to gain her footing, watching in confusion as the floor was cleared around her and Evie pulled away.

Mary looked up in sudden realization. A powerful motor in the ceiling whirred, and she could hear the clanking of chains. They rattled as an enormous cage enclosure came crashing down around her.

"Eep!" Mary squeaked, holding her arms above her head in an instinctive precautionary measure. She blinked nervously at the huge metal bars surrounding her, finally relaxing her arms. Spotting her beige shoulder bag in Mori's fist, Mary dashed to the bars and reached out for it. "Hey! Give that back!"

"I'm afraid you have some explaining to do first, my dear," a charming voice she'd recognize anywhere bargained. Mary turned her head to see the entire Host Club assembled before her like it was practiced – shortest in front and tallest in back. And there was Evie in the center, fitting the spot Haruhi vacated.

"Mary!" Evie worried, running forward to meet her in front of the bars. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to touch the light or anything, this is all my fault—"

"Sh-sh-sh-sh-shush," Mary waved a hand in front of her face with every enunciation. She clamped her fingers together in the ASL sign for 'shut up.' Though she was by no means fluent, Mary knew a bit about the language and would use it sometimes when she spoke. "Not here. Later."

Evie paled, following Mary's eyes to the bag in Mori's grasp. Orders were being given to close the club activities for the day due to the 'terrorist.' Evie was so scared for her friend, but so happy to see her at the same time that she had nearly blurted the secret of the Flashmatic. _Which must be in that bag!_

Though Mary wasn't good at showing it, she was happy to find Evie safe and sound. Or, at least, as safe as she could be in the world of _Ouran High School Host Club_. "I can't believe you broke their vase…"

"It was just like the show!" Evie whispered fervently, grabbing the bars to drive home her point. "I couldn't stop it from happening—"

"It's okay… we just need to figure a way out of here," Mary mumbled.

"So is this a friend of yours?" Tamaki placed a hand on Evie's head, looking down at them both.

"I can_not_ believe you're a sophomore," Mary gaped up at him. _Yup. Just as handsome as he was on her television. _Though unnervingly closer.

"Yeah! This is Mary," Evie genially introduced. She still tugged down on her skirt every now and again. Evie never – or very rarely – wore skirts and dresses, but with one as short as this, she barely knew what to do with herself. It only covered half her thigh! "Can you let her out? She's harmless, I promise."

"Hardly!" Hikaru rubbed his sore head, glaring hard at the girl in the cage. "I don't know, boss, this girl seems pretty psycho to me."

"Yeah, if we let her out, she'll just maul somebody again!" Kaoru supported his brother, standing by his side.

Honey popped his head up from behind Evie, Usa-chan tight in his arms. "I don't know, guys. She doesn't seem so scary now."

"Honey~!" Mary uncharacteristically greeted the boy, hands covering her mouth to prevent any fangirl-ish squeals. "Oh, you're a hundred percent cuter in person! Aw, isn't that Usa-chan?"

He blinked at her compliment in bewilderment. "How do you know Usa-chan?"

The room became quiet. The Hosts blinked at her with wide eyes. Mary's face fell, and she anxiously bit her lip. The boys gathered to discuss the development across the room, and Evie smacked Mary upside the head through the bars.

"Maybe she's a psychic," Kaoru whispered.

"I've never met one in this part of the world," Tamaki admitted, his hand to his chin.

"Or any!" Hikaru argued.

"Or she has her own bunny named Usa-chan?" Honey suggested.

"It could be a common name," Kyoya put in, not paying much attention as he scanned his notes from the day. "Considering it literally means rabbit."

"Kyoya has a point, right, Takashi?" Honey looked up, still in worry.

"Yeah," Mori nodded.

The Hosts came back to the girls, their worries subsided. Evie was still giving Mary a scolding look for nearly blowing their cover.

"Can I come out now?" Mary asked, exhaustion in her voice and a second away from rolling her eyes.

"First, you must apologize to Hikaru and Kaoru," Tamaki decided, the twins nodding in the background behind him.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, okay?" Mary drawled, full of insincerity. _They should be apologizing for treating Evie like a toy!_

"Like hell you are!" Hikaru grouched, narrowing his amber eyes alongside his more intelligent twin – a fact that Mary was desperately repressing from announcing.

There was one surefire way to get out this cage. And that was to take advantage of Tamaki's soft, extremely gullible heartstrings. After sharing a look with Evie who was on the same track of mind, Mary's lip quivered. She hid her face in her hands as she blubbered. Another talent of Mary's – she could get the water works going on demand.

"I-I said I was sorry!" Mary choked back an overly-dramatic sob. The tears she was forcing started to pool in her eyes, so she childishly rubbed them away with her fists. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone! I… I just got so caught up seeing Evie being treated in such a way, my heart silenced the protests in my head!"

Tamaki was clutching the bars, tears blinding his vision as he fell for her sob story hook, line, and sinker – quite literally. He was on his knees in despair. He turned to Kyoya pathetically. "Yeah, Kyoya, can't we please let her out…?"

Unbeknownst to anyone else, Mori and Honey were peering with curiosity at the bag they had confiscated.

"Only if she can play nice," Kyoya stated, scribbling away in his notebook. His glasses glinted menacingly as he faced Mary, seeing through her façade with ease. "We can't have any costly harm coming to our hosts. Besides, we don't take too kindly to violent strangers."

Mary's face deadpanned, going back to her sassy self. She crossed her arms. "So what? I sit in here all day?"

Tamaki seemed confused at her ability to right herself so quickly.

"Or as long as it takes to explain yourself," Kyoya countered in affirmation, closing his notebook with a _snap!_

Mary marched to the center of her prison, sitting down cross-legged with a nasty glare. _Seemed they were at a stalemate._

Evie shook her head. She noticed at that moment, Mori and Honey peeking into Mary's bag. With a cry, she sprang for them, snatching it out of their grasp. "I'll hold onto that, thanks!"

With a quick check, Evie found the single piece of notebook paper and the green metal of the Flashmatic in the otherwise empty tote. She sighed in relief, quickly closing it once more. She brushed off the skeptical expressions the pair gave her.

At this point, Mary was testing how easily it was to manipulate Tamaki's emotions. She found it incredibly simple as she rocked side to side, smiling and humming to herself in boredom – and trying to channel her inner Honey and act as cutely as possible.

Tamaki was all but wagging his tail, watching her in amusement. He hopped over to his fellow hosts, getting their attention with a yip. Stars in his eyes, he gestured to Mary who was faking an innocence that reached Evie and Honey's level. Evie was sitting by the bars, a cross look on her face. "Would you look at that, men? That's the face of an innocent little girl! What right have we to keep her locked up like a wild animal? I say we free her at once!"

"She _does_ seem pretty calm now," Honey put in his two cents.

"Yeah," Mori stoically agreed above them all.

"I still vote no," Hikaru said, crossing his arms as he held his grudge. "She's a total psychopath!"

Tamaki gasped as if scandalized. "Apologize at once! That is no way for a gentleman to address a lady!"

Hikaru stuck his nose in the air. "No way, boss, she's not a customer or anything. She's just this colossal bitch with man fists—"

Shocking them all, Evie stomped before them, seemingly growing to ten times her height as her eyes flashed dangerously. "If you don't let her out right this very minute, I'm going to pound each and every one of you twice as hard and give you a real reason to be scared! _Now!_"

For Evie to change so dramatically from the sweet, flustered girl that broke their vase and could easily be teased to the terrifying _beast_ in front of them was enough to convince them unanimously.

"Can't argue with that," the twins shrugged simultaneously, sweat drops over their heads.

Evie noticed the markers and was slightly taken aback before they disappeared. Mary watched as her friend realized the elements of the cartoon world around them, probably wondering what she looked like since Mary looked so different as well.

The cage lifted from Mary's head as she stood, brushing off her pants. She placed a hand on her hip and smirked. "Glad you all came to your senses. Come on, Evie, let's get the heck out of here."

Evie was hesitant to follow, holding the precious bag in both hands. Suddenly back to her usual self, she bit her lip, looking over the hosts.

"I'm afraid that's quite impossible," the unmistakable command of Kyoya Ootori echoed across the room.

Mary turned from the door to find the hosts assembled against her at the far end of the room and a nervous-looking Evie torn halfway between them.

"Miss Evie still owes us eight million yen," Kyoya explained details Mary already knew – though she shouldn't have. "Unless you can provide the full sum, she is indebted to us and has agreed to work off the money she owes. Hence the maid outfit."

Mary set her jaw. She strode quickly up to meet Evie, opening the bag and taking the Flashmatic out. "Well, we'll just see about that."

"Wait, no!" Evie protested, reaching to take the Flashmatic from her.

"Evie, what are you—?!"

The two squabbled over it for a moment. Evie was stronger than Mary, so she was sure to overpower her. The Host Club watched in confusion as the girls fought over a hair dryer.

"No!" Mary cried.

One of them had accidentally pressed a button on the back panel. The world around them shifted and went black.


	8. Spilled the Metaphorical Beans

Thanks so much for all of the new follows and favorites! I had no idea people would like this. This is just guilty pleasure writing, and it's more or less a gift for the Evie character. Who would've thought? And thank you switchpersonalities and Hello-Nanabanana for another review!

* * *

**Spilled the Metaphorical Beans**

* * *

The two girls held their breath, their hearts beating wildly in fear. There was an inky blackness around them, but they could still see each other plainly as if there was light somehow. Everything else pressed down like a dark cloud around them.

Taking advantage of Evie's vulnerability and regaining her wits first, Mary snatched the remote back from her. She pulled her bangs away from her face, but they just fell back into place. "Now look what you've done!"

"Me?!" Evie squeaked, still staring around them. "Well, doesn't this just defy the laws of light…?"

"No kidding," Mary agreed, searching over the button panel. _What did we push?_

Evie tucked some loose hair behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail, looking over Mary's shoulder at the Flashmatic. "What do you think we hit?"

"I don't know!" Mary said crossly, afraid to press another button to right the situation. She glared up at her friend. "What got into you anyways?!"

"I…" Evie hesitated. The maid outfit she still wore was starting to grow on her, and she didn't want to exchange it for her pajamas and her stuffed cat. Because she knew what that meant. Her blue pleading eyes met Mary's. "I don't want to go back!"

"What?!" Mary burst. "Are you insane?!"

"We just got here!" Evie whined. "I mean… think of the opportunities! We're _here_. We were _talking_ to the _Host Club!_"

Mary's stance wavered a moment. She fiercely shook her head, swatting these thoughts away as she focused again on the remote. "Well, you might just get your wish. But we'll just be trapped in this creepy limbo forever."

Evie crossed her arms, not liking her friend's bitter attitude. Though it was unorthodox _to say the least_ – why didn't she want to give it a try? Where was that famous sense of adventure she always talked about? _They were literally in a cartoon! What more could you ask for?!_

"Maybe…" Mary mumbled. She fingered the button with the dark square. _Could they just have…?_ Her thumb roved over to the triangle. The play button. She shut her eyes. "Here goes!"

Evie gasped as Mary pressed the play button. Since Mary's eyes were closed, Evie was the only one to watch the world around them instantly come back. Like they had never disappeared. They stood in the middle of Music Room #3, the familiar hosts suspiciously watching them.

"You did it!" Evie exclaimed, calming considerably as she looked at the bright walls and pillars surrounding them. _Strange that she should feel comfort upon seeing them rather than skepticism and fear…_

Mary blinked. She lightly tossed the Flashmatic and caught it again, suddenly wearing a smug expression. "We just hit stop on accident! Easy peasy."

Evie nervously eyed the Host Club with a wan smile. She spun Mary around so she would see the incredulous looks they all shared. "Um… we'll be right back!"

"Ladies' room!" Mary added.

The two rushed to the yellow curtains across the room where Haruhi was meant to change into her different uniforms – when the boys realized she was a girl. Evie leapt inside, and Mary shut the curtain behind them.

"Okay, we've got to talk about this," Evie placed her hand on her hip, pointing at the remote control. "Speak words."

Mary hushed her, warning her not to speak too loud. She took a deep breath and began the long explanation her Nana had given her. How the Flashmatic came to her, how it was different from other models, and its strange ability to transport its holder to different, fictional dimensions. She also told Evie her suspicions that her grandmother had been using it for years, jumping to the different movies and shows that they had found written in that old binder. "Heck, I bet if I popped in an old black and white movie into the VCR, I could just look in the crowd and find her standing there!"

"Creepy…" Evie commented, taking up the Flashmatic and inspecting it carefully. "So… how'd she ever get back home?"

"Nana said she had to finish the story. Make sure it ended how it was intended," Mary didn't mean to rhyme, shaking her head at the coincidence of her words. "Which means we can't be here, I can't have tackled Hikaru, and you can't be wearing the maid outfit! You're in Haruhi's shoes. We have to get you out of them."

"How?" Evie's heart sunk.

Mary nodded with determination. "Rewind to the point you arrived! You'll redo whatever it is you did to screw up this story!"

"But…" Evie was about to protest when her eyes widened in realization. She quickly told Mary how she had run into Haruhi in the hallway. "Do you think Haruhi and I switched paths? That she should've taken the hall I took to get here…?"

"Precisely. All we have to do is right the situation, and we can go home," Mary agreed in a whisper, feeling like a scientist with all of this mumbo-jumbo. She attempted to take the remote back from Evie, but she held it away from her. "What now?!"

Evie's eyes were downcast. She bit her lip before she pitched her crazy idea. "What if… we stayed?"

"Then we can't go home!" Mary repeated in exasperation.

"I know! Just hear me out!" Evie insisted. Mary quieted, waiting as patiently as she could for a solid explanation – her arms crossed and foot tapping. Evie blew the bangs from her face in a huff. "Okay… what if we stayed? See how our story would play out? Then we can go back to the beginning and fix everything. Aren't you at least a little curious? If we had the power? If we had the opportunities Haruhi had? The adventure?"

The last word made Mary's eyes light up – as it was supposed to. The blonde stopped her incessant tapping and bit her finger nails. _What if?_ Evie had a point. It shouldn't hurt the time line if they still went back and fixed everything. _Right? What was the harm?_ Mary shook her head. "It's too dangerous… Someone's going to get hurt. We're going to get too attached, and we're not going to want to leave. We'll go insane, re-living these episodes over and over again to scrape happiness out of them!"

"When you say it like that!" Evie grumbled, her voice rising. "That's not going to happen! This show's too light-hearted and fun. Besides, it's really rather short… We'll buzz through it in no time!"

Mary couldn't believe what she was hearing. But at the same time, she was wondering how they were on their respective sides. This plan of Evie's was crazy enough to _easily_ belong to Mary. So why wasn't she going for it? Because it was real this time? It wasn't just a joke, or a plan for the far off future, or a game? Because it was right in front of her? _And all she had to do was stay…_

Evie was watching her friend's face hopefully, watching the expression soften as she began to go for it. She started to jump up and down excitedly, taking Mary's hand and trying to force her to jump, too. "We're in _Ouran_, Mary! Come on! Let's go!"

A smile spread across Mary's face, and she let out a chuckle. "Okay! But only if you promise we'll go back by the end."

"Duh! I promise!" Evie giggled, getting more excited.

Mary was finally feeling content with this silly scheme of theirs until she spotted the curtain. Her brow furrowed in concern and then alarm. Evie noticed the change and spun on her heel. A brown teddy bear that looked suspiciously like Tamaki's Kuma-chan was poking through the fabric barrier. What was more alarming was the small black device crudely taped to it, a red light flashing at them.

At the silence, the curtain was pulled back. Both girls whitened as Hikaru stooped and picked the stuffed bear up, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips. He tossed it to Kaoru beside him who switched the recorder off.

Evie and Mary exchanged a fearful look. Evie quickly replaced the Flashmatic into the bag, and Mary held it protectively.

"Busted!" The twins sang in unison, pouncing upon them.

* * *

"_But only if you promise we'll go back by the end."_

"_Duh! I promise!"_

Gasps were followed by a long silence and then muffles of static. The recording stopped.

Evie and Mary sat back to back within 'isolation,' otherwise known as the steel cage. They had just had their entire conversation about the Flashmatic repeated back to them. A heavy silence seemed to press down from all around.

The usually jovial boys were looking frightfully serious. Honey played with his bunny's arms where he sat, moving them up and down with a look of concern on his face. Mori's face was unreadable like it was etched in stone. It wouldn't have been so unsettling if his brow wasn't creased so deeply. The twins were sitting at opposite ends of a tea table. Hikaru was looking rather smug for getting back at Mary, his face held in his hand as he watched the girls squirm. But Kaoru was looking worried, his head resting in the crooks of his elbows on the back of his chair. Tamaki wasn't facing them, making the girls even more troubled. He seemed to have some sort of dark, thoughtful aura lingering around him as he stared at the tiles in the floor.

Of course, the only person who was still collected was none other than Kyoya. He lightly picked up the recording device, the one the twins had planted, from the table where it sat. He held it up for the girls to see. "Care to explain?"

Evie hated not being able to see his eyes behind those glasses. To not know what he was thinking. It was such a cruel advantage. Mary couldn't be more grateful for their glint, not able to face his wrath of any kind.

Mary looked to Evie, unsure of what to do. On the table where the recorder had been was a line of their belongings. The notebook paper of numbers, the Flashmatic, and the empty bag. Evie's clothes were neatly folded with her cat Fluffy sitting innocently on top.

They couldn't just rewind. They couldn't even leave the cage. They were utterly powerless in a place they couldn't afford to lose control of.

Evie spoke first. "We're not crazy."

Kyoya turned away from them, answering the buzz of his cell phone. He listened only for a moment before he snapped it shut with a disturbing finality. All eyes were on him. "That was the last person I knew to ask…"

Eyes widened around him. All but Evie's and Mary's. They exchanged confused glances of their own, waiting to hear the verdict.

Kyoya whirled around back to them. The girls knew they were in deep trouble since the severity of their situation had called Kyoya into the leadership role. But they weren't expecting what happened next. Kyoya gave them a look of curiosity – an expression they never thought would be for them. "According to my sources, you girls don't exist."

Now shocked eyes were on the girls. Mary and Evie shrunk, but they felt there could be some hope in this. _If Kyoya can't locate them, surely they have a chance at convincing them of the truth!_

"That's quite an impressive feat for a couple of young women," Kyoya said, setting the recorder back down on the table.

The prompt was enough to get Mary talking. "Everything you heard was true. On that tape, I mean. We're not from around here… this… this whole place…"

"It's a show in our world," Evie finished for her. "And in order for us to get home, we need to make sure certain events carry out how they're supposed to."

Mary hugged her shoulders, but she gained some confidence. "And we can prove it, too."

Evie looked at her in bewilderment before taking the cue.

"How?" Kaoru asked. His brother watched him curiously.

"Like… we know things we shouldn't," Mary said. She pointed at Honey. "I know Honey has a little brother named Chika, for example."

Though Honey and Mori sat up straighter, Kyoya quickly rebuffed this. "Easily researched."

"We know about your brothers," Evie said, looking him directly in the eye. "And we know how Tamaki convinced you to start the Host Club."

This made Tamaki peer at them in a more inquisitive light. Kyoya set his jaw.

"And we can tell the twins apart," Mary added, making the Hitachiin's glare in challenge. "Hikaru's the one on the right. We know what they were like in middle school. And we know about the maid—"

"Shut up!" Hikaru shouted suddenly. Kaoru's jaw had dropped, his eyes flicking to his brother.

Tamaki finally moved forward, squatting down in front of the cage. To their surprise, he gave the girls a kind smile. "What's the last event you need to get home?"

Evie and Mary blinked at each other. _Was Tamaki on their side? Trusting them? What was that knowing look he was giving them? How could he be so… so…?!_

"The Ouran Fair," Evie piped up. She averted her eyes. "After that, you won't hear from us again."

Tamaki stood and faced Kyoya. After a long look, the boy with the glasses adjusted the lenses up the bridge of his nose, looking down at the things on the table. He sighed. "Then… I suppose it's only safe to keep an eye on you until then. Besides… if what you say is true, you need to make sure your events play out as they're supposed to, correct? It would be beneficial for you to stick around."

Evie and Mary gaped at each other. _Was this really happening?! Were they being trusted? At least for the time being?!_

"Release them!" Tamaki commanded. Though no one seemed to move, the chains tightened above their heads, and the cage slowly rose, being cranked into the ceiling. As Evie stood and brushed herself off, Tamaki strode to meet her with a bow. "After all, we did make a promise."

_To make every girl happy…_

Evie smiled and ran past him with an excited squeal, taking up her stuffed kitten and hugging him for comfort. Mary was still sat on the floor, staring up in wonder at the nutty boy. If anyone else had said the things Mary and Evie had said, they would have thrown them into the loony bin no questions asked. And here Tamaki was, showing them compassion and understanding. It was the last thing Mary expected if their secret had gotten out.

But then again, Tamaki was always surpassing Mary's expectations. She smiled and took the helping hand he offered her, rising to her feet.

"So, what now?" The twins asked, still keeping up their synchronicity despite how obviously shaken they were. No one had ever won the 'Which One is Hikaru' game. _No one._ And two strangers had called them out without issue.

Evie nodded to Mary who gave her a smile in return. She went to the table, and the girls collected their things, filling up the tote. Evie vied to carry the paper, holding it up for Mary to see as she pointed the Flashmatic before them.

"We'll see you next time," Mary smirked, pressing in the sequence of numbers for the next episode. She pulled the trigger, and a flash of light shot from the remote and hit the nearest wall – which happened to be a pillar.

Evie giggled and waved at the shocked hosts. They had knocked chairs to the ground as they stood, the sound of wood clanging echoing around the room. Evie happily hopped into the portal they created. Mary stepped in after her, turning to get one last glimpse at the paralyzed expressions. She smiled, saluted, and disappeared after her friend.

The oval portal closed behind them, leaving a light trail of smoke. And a few stunned high school boys who no longer needed convincing.


	9. The Job of a High School Host!

Thank you switchpersonalities for another review! Sorry this came out so late. Not only did I hit a slump, but I had a busy weekend, and this chapter was so _long_. Hopefully, that helps make up for the delay.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

**The Job of a High School Host!**

* * *

Evie and Mary erupted into giggles as the portal closed behind them, and they found themselves in darkness.

"Pause, pause!" Evie demanded, catching her breath.

Mary quickly pressed the appropriate button just before the world lit up in the pinks of the show's theme song. She hiked the tote over her shoulder. "We were so badass!"

"Did you see their faces?!" Evie excitedly clapped and hopped up and down with the coded paper still in her hands.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they believe us now," Mary chuckled, cockily tossing the Flashmatic up and down.

"Hey, lemme see that thing," Evie held out a hand. Mary relinquished the remote for the paper, stuffing it into the beige Ouran bag for safety. Evie studied the buttons on the back of the Flashmatic. "So this works just like any old TV remote, eh?"

"DVD, I'd say," Mary shrugged as she corrected her. "Since you can pause and rewind and all that."

"Aha, there's an AB function! That should be fun…" Evie's laughter trailed off as her brow crinkled.

"What's the matter?" Mary asked. She looked around at the dark around them, watching it shift a few times from being held in pause for so long.

Evie twisted a brown lock of hair around her finger as she studied the back panel. "Well, what's this button do? It's blank."

"Blank?" Mary asked again. She hurried behind Evie to look over her shoulder, having to stand on her tiptoes and use her arm as a boost since she was shorter. Mary found the button in question at the very bottom. "It kind of looks like a space bar."

"Huh," Evie shrugged. She wanted to give it a try, but she was worried it could alter the world or put them in danger.

Mary danced around back to the front of Evie, looking around them curiously. "Hey, do you think the show's theme song will be different, too?"

"I don't see why not," Evie shrugged. The brunette was still focusing on the button, going through the difficult tug-of-war of push or don't push.

The blonde tossed her hair over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, let's find out! Hit play already. I wonder if you'll look like a maid the entire show, or—"

_Push!_

Evie's decision to wing it shot a ball of static at her friend. The Flashmatic had been pointing in Mary's direction, and at the press of the space bar, bathed her in white light. Evie yelped and let go of the button, a worried hand slapping over her mouth. "Mary, are you okay?!"

The light disintegrated as fast as it had come, leaving Mary staring in awe at her new outfit.

Evie's eyes went wide. "You're… you're wearing what I'm wearing!"

Mary pulled down on the short black maid skirt, starting to blush in embarrassment. The lacey hat flopped over her brow. Luckily, the bag holding all of their possessions was still around her shoulder. "How did you do that?!"

"I hit the space bar!" Evie squeaked, showing the Flashmatic to Mary.

Mary pushed her cap back onto her head and snatched the Flashmatic from Evie, looking it over carefully. She bit her lip. "Strange… And I was thinking about that silly outfit when you did that… I wonder… Evie, picture an outfit."

"An outfit?" Evie parroted back.

"Something you'd like to wear," Mary clarified, already lining up the shot.

Evie noticed this and squealed. "No, no, no! Wait, you have to give me a minute!"

"You have three seconds to think of something," Mary taunted, thumb dangerously close to the long, rectangular button.

"Ah! Wait!" Evie wailed, holding her head. She paced in circles, trying to incite a good idea.

"Three, two—!" Mary warned, slipping out of the shoulder strap and discarding the bag for these experiments.

"Stop pressuring me!"

"One!" Mary pressed the button.

White static like snow on an old television set scrambled over Evie's figure. The girl reappeared not a moment later, staggering in a sparking pink princess dress complete with rhinestones, tulle, and enormous shoulder poofs. Her hair that had just recently been in a ponytail was curled in waves around her shoulders. Evie rather looked like Glinda the good witch from _The Wizard of Oz_.

"That was the first thing to come to mind?" Mary mocked, holding back snarky laughter.

Evie glared, stumbling through her heavy skirts to snatch the Flashmatic from Mary. "It's because you didn't let me think! Let's see how you like it!"

She had fired, and Mary was the one to be covered in static once again. When the pixels cleared, Mary was standing before Evie wearing baggy jeans, a roomie red zip up sweater, leather necklace, and sneakers.

Mary looked down at herself and shrieked at the boys' clothing.

"You look like your Ed Sheeran poster," Evie stated, cocking her head to the side. She grinned mischievously. "Is Ed Sheeran always on your mind~?"

"N-no!" She denied, but quickly caved at the look she was getting. "You know I have a weakness for gingers!" Mary blushed, furiously taking the Flashmatic back. Grumbling to herself, she pointed it back at Evie.

She squeaked in surrender, holding up her hands. "Hey, we're never going to get back to the show if we keep this up! Truce!"

"Oh, alright…" Mary blew the bangs from her face, hiking up the over-sized pants over her hips. "So what do you want to wear?"

"You go first!" Evie held out her hand for the device.

"Oh, fine!" Mary rolled her eyes. She thought about her own closet for a moment, and she decided clothes she was familiar with would be safest. She did her best to picture the slip on denim shoes, the candy cane striped skirt, and the black Ramones tank top. Mary closed her eyes and nodded, the picture in place. "Okay, go!"

Her friend pressed the button and illuminated Mary. The blonde emerged from the transformation wearing the outfit she pictured, her long hair in a high ponytail over her head. She spun for the full effect, happy it came out right.

Evie giddily clapped and handed Mary the remote. Her skirts swished as she ran a good distance away to receive the shot of light. "Ooo, good idea! Okay, do me! Do me!"

Mary flipped the Flashmatic around, smiling at her friend. "Okay, ready?"

"Ready!" Evie nodded, eyes pinched shut in anticipation.

After the static had coated Evie, the girl was dressed in her favorite blue jeans, baggy pink hoodie, and sloppy bun. She smiled at the transformation but frowned at Mary's reaction. "What?"

"Nothing," Mary rolled her eyes and picked up the bag once again. She found the skip scene button and prepared to press it. She turned her head to her friend. "You ready to head back in?"

"This thing is so nifty," Evie ignored her, admiring the Flashmatic.

"Good, let's go!" Mary pressed the fast forward skip.

The girls were overcome with nausea as the world around them flew forward, whipping them forcefully ahead through the colors that were the theme song. All at once, the trip was over, and they were standing in the hall outside of Music Room #3.

"Never… again…" Mary gulped, swaying on her feet as she struggled to stuff the Flashmatic in the bag. Her vision wasn't perfect, and she was dizzy, making the simple task an effort.

"We'll have to be more careful with that button," Evie agreed, her face changing back from green to a nauseated pale. She shook her head to clear it as she looked around. "Which episode is this?"

Mary took a few deep breaths before answering. She blinked at the double doors before her. "It should be the… second."

"So…?" Evie asked. She had only seen the show once or twice on occasion when she forced it on her sisters, so that left Mary as the resident expert.

"Kanako," she whispered.

Following Mary's eyes, Evie turned around to see a girl approaching. She was wearing the yellow girls' uniform, and her brown hair was cropped close under her chin. She had a forlorn look about her that quickly disappeared when she noticed the two staring at her.

"Why, hello," she greeted Mary and Evie. She had kind eyes.

Mary started to realize their outfits weren't the best choice – they were sticking out in this school like a sore thumb. She nervously smiled back at her. "Hello!"

"Hi!" Evie chirped.

"Are you girls transfer students?" Kanako politely asked, her hands folded before her. Mary couldn't get over the voices – the same woman who voiced Tohru from _Fruits Basket_ was speaking as Kanako. Mary wondered how that worked out, but when she remembered this wasn't a true reality, she forgot about it.

Before Evie got the chance to answer, Mary slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, we're nobody! Just lost! Go on in – do what you need to do!"

Kanako gave them a startled look, but she nodded, quickly leaving them and entering the Host Club.

"What was that for?!" Evie whined.

Mary wiped off her hand on her skirt with a sour expression. "We can't be saying anything that can distract her. If we throw off the plot, we're going to have lots of fixing to do."

"But who cares?! We can do whatever we want, remember?" Evie waved a hand in front of her face like she was zoning. "We're going back to the beginning anyways, so whatever we do or don't do won't be remembered."

Mary crossed her arms, letting out a huff. "Fine… I just don't like screwing with the story…"

"Well, I do – let's go!" Evie grabbed Mary's wrist and pulled her through the doors to Music Room #3.

The girls stumbled unceremoniously into the room, what with Mary struggling against Evie's tugging. The disturbance garnered the attention of a few of the main occupants of the room.

"I forgot it was going to be a jungle…" Mary muttered, watching a toucan fly through the thick canopy above them.

The room looked nothing like a school room – as per usual. The crazy antics of the Host Club had turned the place into a lush, tropical paradise. All because Kyoya had hinted with some Bali travel books to the king. Vines and various exotic flora covered the grounds and were strung through the humid air. And of course, the hosts were dressed for the part wearing their skirts and leis.

The twins were upon Evie faster than the poor girl could blink, propping up an elbow apiece on her head.

"Yay~!" A joyful cry echoed across the music room. The girls found Takashi Morinozuka carting a jubilant Honey on his shoulders. He stopped before them.

"Hey, guys!" Evie peered up at her forehead.

Mary silently saluted a wave.

"It's been over a week since you disappeared on us," Hikaru complained with a smirk.

"We were wondering if we were all hallucinating at the same time," Kaoru added, equally as sly as his brother.

"Hooray!" Honey cheered, making a dive off of Mori's shoulders. Mary struggled to catch him when he flung himself at her, but she found her cartoon strength was superior to her human abilities. She held him up as he crawled on her piggy back style. "Evie-chan and Mary-chan are back!"

"Yeah," Mori agreed with his observation.

"We're older than you, squirt," Mary laughed at Honey's childishness.

Honey's eyes went wide with curiosity, pink flowers spinning around him. "Onee-san?"

"Never mind; keep the chan."

"We were beginning to think you ran out on us," Kyoya strode forward, waving off the other hosts to go back to their business. The twins sulked off, sticking out their tongues. "You still have an eight million yen debt, and distracting our hosts is only racking up the numbers."

"How much does it cost to just say hello?" Mary jibed, handing Honey back over to Mori's control.

Kyoya's glasses glinted, reflecting his annoyance with her tone. Evie quickly stepped in with a smile. "Oh, we didn't forget! We assure you, all of our debts will be paid before we leave."

_Our debts?! You knocked over the vase!_ But Mary didn't need to be told twice with the pointed look Evie was giving her. There would be no money of course, but since they wouldn't exist, it would become Haruhi's problem again. She let her arms fall to her sides in defeat. "You'll be paid in full."

Tamaki had recognized the voices and heard the whisperings. He excused himself from the girls at his table – one of them was Kanako. Hosting hours were drawing to a close, so the girls began to file out behind Mary and Evie, giving the pair suspicious glances as they went. Kanako was one of them, the only girl looking down at her feet.

_That's right,_ the girls shared similar thoughts. _Kanako couldn't host hop to Haruhi, so she was still with Tamaki. _

"Guess we won't get to see that spiral of depression," Mary muttered.

Evie giggled at her friend but waved to Tamaki once he strode up behind Kyoya. "The time travelers make their return!"

"But we're not—" Evie was interrupted by Mary.

"Just let him go," she shook her head solemnly.

Tamaki was already in full swing – eyes shining and posing dramatically. "Skipping through the cosmos to mend time! Such a dramatic and dangerous adventure! I commend your efforts."

"Gee, thanks," Mary couldn't hold back her sass much longer. Evie elbowed her in the side.

"And look how cute you are~!" Tamaki inspected their respective outfits, popping up all over the place. "Not exactly dressed for peril, but it's certainly unique."

"And American," Kyoya smartly observed, making the girls pale considerably.

Evie was hugging her shoulders in embarrassment at Tamaki's examination. Mary took his comments as an insult to her personal style. Kyoya watched this with growing impatience.

Tamaki stood to his full height, full of pride (for what, no one was quite sure) as he looked them over and crossed his arms. "So what cosmic event brings you to our humble Host Club?"

"Hardly humble—" It was Evie's turn to cut off Mary.

"We're here to check up on a few things," Evie gave him a convincing smile despite how unsure she was about the situation. _What were they supposed to do now that they were here?_ Her eyes found Kanako. She bit her lip. "Actually, it has to do with one of your guests."

Tamaki recoiled, hiding behind Kyoya. "One of them is an alien?!"

"No one said any such thing," Kyoya scolded, his pen moving across the paper of his secret notebook.

Mary picked up the cue from Evie. "We have to ensure their happiness! And one of them is quite the opposite…"

"Who wants to bet it's Kanako Kasugazaki?" The twins appeared behind their king, shrugging their shoulders. "She's got the host hopping disease."

"Exactly!" Evie nodded.

"You guys have to get her back together with Toru," Mary added, thanking the stars she remembered the labelled 'boring' guy's name despite her forgetfulness to add a moniker for respect. _Funny… Did they do that on purpose somehow? Tohru's voice was with a guy named Toru in this show? Weird._

"Her fiancé," Kyoya nodded, closing his notebook. When he looked down at them, the girls could finally see his cold eyes. They couldn't wait until he became friendlier, but they'd have to wait quite a long time. "Right…"

"Great!" Mary piped up, pumping her fist. "So you guys get those two back together, and we'll see you next time!"

"Alright everyone, we'll have to work on our strategy," Tamaki cut her off with a familiar speech.

The hosts eyed each other in confusion. "What strategy?"

More determined than ever, sparkles and rose petals gathering around dramatically, Tamaki declared: "Men, it is our responsibility as members of the elite Ouran Host Club to make every girl happy!"

In the following silence that was meant to signify the halfway point of the show, Mary sighed. "Whatever… See you guys in a week."

"But what's the plan?!" Evie shrieked in worry, but it was too late.

Evie and Mary were sped ahead through the cut, as promised, to one week later. The night of the Ouran ball was just beginning, with gads of silly girls crowding one of the biggest ballrooms the ridiculous school had to offer.

Cherry blossom petals spun in the fresh spring air. As if an entire week had just passed in a few seconds, everyone was gossiping about school and the hosts gathered on the stairs.

Mary and Evie found themselves feeling sick once again, standing on the outer terrace. Mary held her spinning head as Evie tugged on her arm.

"Mary! Quick! We have to get inside – the ball's already starting!" Evie said, trying to drag her friend inside.

"W-wait!" Mary planted her feet. Evie stopped her pulling. Mary reached in the bag at her waist and pulled out the Flashmatic, giving Evie a playful smile. "We can't exactly go to a ball without dresses."

"Ooo!" Evie clapped, standing back as Mary positioned the remote at her. "I've got just the right idea!"

Mary pressed down on their magical outfit changer and watched as Evie was suddenly cloaked in a navy blue number. It went past her knees in tea cup skirt, and its filmy sleeves from her heart-shaped collar hung over the corners of her shoulders. Her hair was in a bouncy ponytail.

"Nice!" Mary complimented, tossing the Flashmatic. Evie jumped to catch it, juggling it for a second before gripping it tight. Mary spread her arms. "Now do me!"

Evie did the same. Mary's dress was similar, but it was a deep green and much shorter than Evie's. The smooth sleeves reached down to her elbows, her neckline was squared off, and the fabric shamelessly clung to her tightly.

Evie's jaw dropped, her hands going to her hips. "It's pretty, but it's hardly appropriate!"

"Thanks for the tip, Mom," Mary teased.

Evie stuck out her tongue, rolling her eyes at her friend's fashion choices.

Mary combed her fingers through her long hair, gathering it over one shoulder. She frowned at the big bag. Taking the Flashmatic back, she laid it to rest safely inside and clipped it closed. "You don't have to worry about people staring, anyways. This eyesore of a bag is like guy repellent."

"I can carry it!" She all too willingly offered.

"Nah," Mary remained stubborn. "Let's get in there, and see what we're missing."

The girls crept inside as applause erupted from the crowd of girls. The hosts descended the stairs, mingling with those immediately offering dances. String instruments from a full orchestra picked up a waltz.

"Where the hell do they get the budget for this shit?!" Mary looked around, gawking at the crystal chandeliers hanging above their heads.

"Never mind that!" Evie chided. "Let's go find out what this strategy is all—"

"Evie-chan is here!" Honey announced nearby.

"Alright, men. Then let us commence with our operation," Tamaki spun by with his gorgeous dance partner.

"Roger!" The call went out.

Before Evie could do anything, her arms were snatched up. She was sped away at a shocking rate, creating a great wind through the ballroom and kicking up a dust cloud.

"Hey!" Evie cried as her captors came to a halt – namely Mori. She was slung over his shoulder like a sack of grain. He carefully placed her back on her feet in the back room the hosts were gathered together in. "What's the big idea?"

"Wow, looking good, Evie!" The twins gave her a thumbs up for her dress.

"There are only twenty minutes until the party reaches its climax," Kyoya explained, looking particularly dapper in a long tuxedo coat. "Suzushima is in the classroom across the hall."

Evie paled, realizing she was in Haruhi's shoes. She stuttered in fear. "B-but why do I have to talk to him about the stupid confession letter?!"

"Good, you know the plan," Kyoya offhandedly remarked.

"I can't do this! Where's Mary?" Evie demanded, stomping her foot down.

"Right here," her friend appeared between the twins. She crossed her arms. "I don't see a problem with this. _You're_ the one who broke the vase after all."

Steam was coming off of Evie as she glared at her unsupportive comrade.

"Gentlemen!" The doors burst open from the dark hallway. Tamaki was looking confused in the entry. "There you all are! What are you doing? The guests are waiting for—"

Mary was prepared for him to fawn over Evie, but she wasn't expecting equal treatment. Tamaki circled them like an excited puppy. "Wow, you two are so pretty! Daddy's so proud!"

Both girls recoiled. They shared a look of concern. _He's on this daddy thing already?!_

Mary gulped and pushed Evie forward. "Well, she's ready! You guys better start this plan of yours before it gets too late."

"Mary's right," Kyoya nodded. He gave Evie a final briefing before she disappeared out the door, giving Mary a final pleading glance.

"Yellow plaid vests?" Mary turned to the twins. "Really? As the fashionistas, you should know that totally clashes with your hair."

"Who asked you?" They stuck their tongues out at her.

"This is perfect for Evie!" Tamaki's eyes glinted. "This is just the thing she needs to ensure her path to happiness! Perhaps the simulation of a confession of love will fill her young maiden heart with overflowing joy!"

"Or this plan of yours is just ridiculous enough to send her running and screaming from you forever," Kyoya muttered, crashing him back down to Earth.

Though she wasn't invited, Mary ran out after her friend. Unexpectedly, she was frightened without her around. Evie was her only connection to the real world. And what if something happened to either of them when they were separated? _Something fatal?!_

"Evie!" Mary squeaked in panic, catching up to her despite the precarious heels she was wearing.

Evie turned around, full of relief. "Thank goodness! I was terrified of doing this alone!"

Mary caught her breath and sighed. "Well, you'll still have to… but I didn't want to be separated. Who knows what could happen?"

Evie accepted this logic with a firm nod. "Right. But where's Kanako? Isn't she supposed to walk in on us?"

Mary looked around. Her eyes roved the tall windows where the flower petals from the trees came down like rain outside. "I'm not sure…"

"Should we trust Tamaki to get her?" Evie asked.

"Maybe…" Mary admitted. "But my Nana told me that sometimes she was needed for the story… could this be one of those times?"

"Eep!" Evie pointed over Mary's shoulder.

She whirled around to see Tamaki already leading the girl Kanako down the hall towards them. Mary cursed and shoved Evie into the classroom. "Hurry!"

Evie ran forward, making the boy inside waiting by the window jump in surprise. She pointed at the letter in his hand.

"You're the one who wrote this letter? You're totally different from—" Toru began.

"Yes, I know!" Evie cut him off, talking quickly. "But it doesn't matter because I know you like this other girl, but you're not man enough to tell her, so you're running off to England like a coward, but you just need to forget about me and tell her how you feel before it's too late, so like, _right now!"_

"Go, Evie!" Mary cheered in a whisper. She saw Kanako and Tamaki fast approaching and dived into the classroom to hide.

Toru Suzushima blinked his eyes. He paused, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He shook his head, giving her an incredulous look. "Wait, what?!"

Evie sighed. She gave him a small smile. "I know what this is all about… and I'm sorry for wasting your time. But if you're not going to give me the time of day, I suggest you spend it with the girl you really care about. She needs you, too…"

Despite his confusion, Toru smiled. _Evie had done it!_ He looked past Evie towards the classroom doorway, letting out a gasp.

Mary hoped she was going to go unseen underneath the desk as she watched the exchange. Kanako's tear filled eyes were locked on Evie and Toru standing together. The tears started to spill over, and she choked back a sob.

"I… I didn't mean to interrupt…!" She managed.

Evie felt terrible, wanting to console the girl. But she knew that wasn't her job. She deftly stepped out of the way as Toru called out to her. When it didn't work, he raced out of the room after her retreating form.

The click of heels died down, and Mary emerged from her hiding spot. Evie met her at the hall, exchanging a victorious high five. Tamaki was waiting behind the door, and when he saw the two looking so cheerful, he couldn't help but smile.

"We did it!" Evie said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Thank goodness – that was so stressful!"

"Aw, you did so well!" Tamaki congratulated, hugging her tight as she squeaked like a mouse.

Mary was the one to look fondly down the hall where the pair had disappeared. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Quick! We've got to get outside!"

"Right!" Evie agreed.

The girls dashed away from Tamaki back the way they had come, knowing he'd somehow get there before them. To ensure they'd make it in time, Mary pulled out the Flashmatic and firmly hit pause.

"Whoa…" Evie stared as their running came to an abrupt stop. She marveled at the dance floor of statues in the ballroom before them, mouths opened in laughter and chatter that was suddenly ceased. Hair paralyzed in the air as a head was turned. Heels brought up to take a dance step.

Mary looked left and right in the eerie silence before hurrying down the stairs. "Come on, back to the terrace!"

The girls wove their way through the crowd, coming out to another staircase. This one was made of the same grey stones that composed the courtyard spread out before them. The cherry blossoms in the air had frozen in place as well.

"Okay, now _that_ is awesome…" Mary touched one of the stray petals near her nose, picking it up out of its place.

Evie giggled, peeking over Kyoya's shoulder at his notebook. "This is so much fun!"

Mary had to agree with her, noticing the twins standing in place behind Tamaki – the girls were right that he had somehow beaten them to the terrace. She poked Kaoru, and a wide smile broke out on her lips. Carefully moving them, she switched the twins' positions so they were on opposite sides of each other. When the girls would hit play, they should get a proper shock.

"What are you doing?" Evie strolled over with a scolding tone in her voice.

"Just having some fun!" Mary replied innocently enough, setting up Hikaru where his brother had been standing and vice versa.

Evie turned and looked out at the spotlights shining down on Kanako and Tohru. Her brow furrowed when she looked back at the twins. "Hey, where are their bananas?"

"Excuse me?" Mary finished her prank, turning to her friend in confusion.

"They're supposed to have bananas to trip Tamaki," Evie explained further.

Mary noticed the issue. She put a hand to her chin. "Hm… You're right. Want to check if there are any on the spread?"

"Already on it!" Evie laughed, hurrying back inside.

Mary didn't have to wait long for Evie to return with a bunch of bananas. She held them up doubtfully as Mary pressed the play button. "You know, I think these were meant to be decorative."

"They'll work," Mary shrugged, taking one for herself.

The noise had begun again full swing around them. The music, the whispers of the girls in the crowd, and the light steps of Kanako and Tohru as they danced across the courtyard.

"Aw, isn't it sweet?" Evie sighed.

Though the twins were confused at having switched places suddenly, they seemed to forget it once they noticed Evie and Mary before them – somehow knowing they were the culprits.

"Not really," Mary yawned. She took a bite from her banana. "This episode bores me."

Evie gave her a shove before she noticed the twins watching them. "Banana?"

The twins narrowed their amber eyes in suspicion, but they accepted the fruit as a mischievous plan came to mind. Evie smiled to Mary who gave her another victory high five.

As the dance came to an end, the Hitachiin twins finished their bananas and made the announcement that Kanako was queen of the ball.

"And for her reward," Hikaru began.

"A kiss on the cheek from the king!" Kaoru finished.

"Are you ready?" Tamaki posed, much too confidently to be taken seriously.

Mary held in laughter as Evie gave her a poke. She followed her gaze and saw the banana peels placed on the stairs.

"But if there isn't a substitute, what's going to happen?" Mary whispered.

"Maybe Tamaki will accidentally kiss her full on the mouth?" Evie shrugged.

"What are you two scheming?" Hikaru folded his arms over Mary's head.

Kaoru did the same on Evie's. "Trying to make a fool of the boss?"

"Why, I'd never!" Evie answered innocently at the accusation.

"Besides, don't you idiots do this kind of crap all the time?" Mary grumbled, feeling belittled by them.

The twins snickered above the girls, watching as Tamaki descended the stairs. All four held their breath as the banana peels went comically unnoticed by the blond boy until his foot was placed squarely on top of one.

With a yelp, Tamaki fell down on the last step. He pitched forward and ran straight into Kanako – effectively shoving her into Toru where they shared a quick kiss.

"Well, that was unexpected," Mary mumbled in disappointment.

"I think this turned out better than the original," Evie smiled. Tamaki was red in the face, but he had brought himself up with dignity before the proclaimed 'awkward couple.' She turned to Mary with a bright grin. "And it's just the beginning! I can't wait to see what else we can do!"

Mary giggled. "Me, too!"

The blonde brought out the remote control. The girls were still underneath Hikaru and Kaoru's hold, so Mary looked up with a smirk. "Get ready to fall!"

Plugging in the next numbers, Mary shot the newest portal at the stone banister before them. The girls jumped away and fell into the sphere of light.

True to prediction, the twins face planted just like Tamaki just had. _Karma's a bitch._


	10. Beware the Physical Exam!

Aaaaahhhh, where have I been?! Work, illness, and internet have been a pain, but here's the next chapter!

I haven't said it before, but I wanted to make it clear that I have no intentions of leaving this story. Though updates may be sporadic, they're always on the way. I'm not going anywhere! Sorry for making you worry~ D:

Also, much thanks to the new follows and favorites and switchpersonalities, Hello-Nanabanana, and the aptly vaguely named: Someone and Another Guest for your reviews!

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**Beware the Physical Exam!**

* * *

Mary found it incredibly easy to fall in love with the cherry blossoms. The way they swirled in the air like falling snowflakes, and the warm rays of sun glittered off of the petals like sparkling gems in the sky. At the front gates of Ouran Academy, the spring was shedding the forest garden of trees of all of their pretty pink flowers.

"With the way they're falling," Mary wondered aloud, gazing at the freshly cut grass around them, "you'd think they'd pile up like snow or leaves. Maybe if I just lay here, they'll bury me."

Evie laughed as she watched her friend fall to the ground and sprawl out. Arresting the bag from her, she dug around for the Flashmatic before pointing it at herself. With the push of the blank button, Evie was comfortably dressed in a green turtle neck sweater and jeans. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! Feels good to get out of that dress! Come on – get up! Let's go find the boys."

"Yeah," Mary grumbled, reaching for the Flashmatic to get out of the green party dress she was still wearing. With a bit of static, she was soon dressed in her default candy cane skirt and Ramones tank top. "We have to find the quack doctor, Yabu, before he causes any trouble at the physical exams."

"Ugh!" Evie groaned, rolling her eyes. Though Mary was reaching her arms up for assistance, Evie defiantly put her hands on her hips and glared down at her instead. "When are you going to loosen up?! We've been through the motions – I know we can't leave until we finish the story, so we're going back, and none of this is going to have happened. Right?"

"Uh…" Mary blinked, not expecting her friend to suddenly sound so frustrated with her.

"So why do you insist we stick to the plot? Everything will be fine!" Evie shook her head. She gave Mary a reassuring smile. "We've got the chance to explore and meet people _who don't technically exist_. You're crazy if you say no to that!"

"Well…" Mary knew Evie had a point, but she was still worried. She didn't like straying from the story line. _What if they were needed for something important to occur? How much dialogue would change? Would they ruin things in Ouran?_

Evie saw her friend was brooding. Grabbing Mary's hands, she violently yanked her to her feet. "That's it! This episode, we're doing things my way!"

Mary blanched as Evie dragged her off into the trees. _Her way?! What was that supposed to mean?_

It wasn't long before the girls wound their way through the thin trunks and came upon a garden party. Blankets were spread out in various picturesque locations with fancy, antique tea services upon them. Girls in their ridiculous yellow dresses were gathered around where hosts poured tea and filled their pretty, little heads with false compliments.

Mary glared at the scene. "They look like waiters at Applebee's…"

"Hey, guys!" Evie waved, calling out to them and completely ignoring Mary's negativity.

Tamaki noticed her first and fled his guests to greet the pair. He gallantly swept up Evie's hand. "The beautiful travelers return to us! Chic as ever, I see~ Would either of you lovely ladies care for a spot of tea out of our elegant, imported sets?"

"Sure!" Evie chirped. Even though she wasn't a fan of most any tea, she was sure the hosts wouldn't disappoint. She left Mary's side to be led away to Tamaki and Kyoya's area. She could already see the be-speckled boy halfway through his pitch about Host Club photographs with a few empty-headed girls.

Mary moodily clung to the bag holding the important relics from their own world, twisting the beige shoulder strap in her fist. Her stomach was suddenly clenched with nerves. _How did Evie do it so well? Treating them like real people…? _

She swiveled her head to see what everyone else was up to. The terrible twins were pulling one of their routines, highly questionable as always. Mary attempted to picture herself as one of the girls currently fawning over them and their 'forbidden' antics and her expression soured, a hand shielding the sight from her. "No way."

Evie was standing with Kyoya, apparently holding a conversation with him - to Mary's shock and awe. Tamaki was busily flitting back and forth between being Prince Charming for his guests and screaming in protest at Kyoya's sarcastic remarks. Evie was laughing between them, watching the show with the best seat in the house.

That left…

Mary's feet plodded along before she robotically came to a stop by Honey and Mori's blanket. Her knees bent on their own accord, and she more or less fell into a sitting position a fair distance from everyone else.

"Hey, it's Mary-chan!" Honey greeted, flowers twirling around his adorable head as usual. He seemed to have just popped out of a depression, and by the two girls viciously fighting over the three drops of tea he made for them next to her, Mary remembered why. _Funny how some things still carry over…_

"Er, what?" Mary squeaked, holding her throat at the sound. _Why was she acting like Evie all of the sudden?! She wasn't shy! She was… bold. In her own world…_

"Did you want a snack?" Honey repeated the question she had zoned out for. He held up a variety of cookies and cakes. "There's strawberry, and lime, and cherry!"

"Mm…" Mary mumbled behind her fingers. Her other hand dug deeper into the strap of the bag.

"What, are you new?" One of the girls suddenly asked, making Mary's face go red.

"Yeah, are you nervous?" The other girl asked. Luckily, the Honey and Mori fangirls were much kinder. They both smiled. "Honey and Mori don't bite!"

"Yeah, they're both really kind!"

"Haha!" Honey suddenly giggled when he saw their assurances weren't helping Mary's blush lessen. "You're so cute when you're shy!"

"I am not!" Mary blurted, a vein character popping up over her brow.

Though no one else was particularly amused by her angry outburst, Honey just laughed again and sorted through the different cakes, picking up the lime. "Then we'll just have to choose for you! What do you think of this one, Takashi? Do you think Mary-chan would like it?"

"Yeah," came the baritone, usual response.

"Here ya go~!"

_Players! How do they do this? It's so surreal!_ Mary grumbled to herself, but she accepted the plate and gilded fork offered to her.

"It seems your friend has a taste for Honey-senpai," Kyoya observed, back to scribbling whatever it was he always scribbled in his notebook as his guests dissipated.

"You think so?" Evie asked, hands clasped behind her back. She wrinkled her nose as she observed Mary as she quickly ate the entire slice of lime cake in a few bites.

"They seem to get along rather well," Kyoya said.

"I don't think so," Evie disagreed. She was glad it was so surprisingly easy to talk to Kyoya. At first, she was terrified he'd bite her head off or try to sell her something. Of course, the latter was still expected, but he was already rather chatty. "I mean, she'd never admit it, but you—er—I mean, what? I don't know, Honey's super cute, yeah, sure."

Kyoya's pen stopped moving for a few awkward moments as Evie's face flushed. _She almost just said that!_ She almost just admitted that, after careful consideration, they each had their preferred hosts. And Kyoya certainly wasn't low on either of their lists. _How embarrassing!_

"If you really want to know, Tamaki's her favorite," Evie admitted. It was better to change the focus with a little truth than let the girls' Kyoya obsession hang in the air between them.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Hm. From what I've observed, I wouldn't have made that conclusion."

Evie laughed at his roundabout way of saying 'oh.' "Well, you can't just assume all people work the same."

For some reason, Kyoya almost wanted to ask, drawing from the same logic, who Evie's favorite was. But he quickly realized that was a ridiculous question, and so he remained quiet.

"Well, this was fun!" Evie brightly announced, smiling wide with her doe eyes shut tight. "Thanks for the awkward chat. I'm gonna head over and see when Mary wants to skip ahead."

"Right…" Kyoya said, not taking his eyes off of the folder balancing in the crook of his elbow. Only after her footsteps marched a fair distance away did he chance watching her go.

"So!" Evie grinned, standing over her friend. Mary whirled around and looked up to meet her suspiciously sly gaze. "Having fun?"

"Lots!" Honey said. He yawned and the guests swooned as he rubbed his eye. "But all this yummy food makes me sleepy~"

Mary put the plate back on the blanket, careful not to clatter it around too much. She stood and brushed out the wrinkles in her skirt and collected her bag. With as much dignity as she could muster, Mary nodded to the two Host Club members. "Thank you… for the cake."

"Yeah," Mori said, to no one's surprise. His shrewd eyes studied the pair of girls for a curious moment before he noticed Honey curled up in a ball. "Mitsukuni. No sleeping on the ground."

"Aw…!" Honey whined, yawning again.

Mary and Evie walked away from the commotion. Seemingly out of earshot of any characters, Evie's growing smirk erupted into a full out, cheeky grin. Mary eyed her with a sideways glance, her grip relaxing on the satchel she was always carting around. She finally gave up and stopped walking, effectively stopping Evie as well. "Okay, _what_ is with that face?"

"So…?" Evie drew out the word, swaying side to side and making her ponytail follow along like a pendulum. "Having fun?"

Her sass ebbed away slowly; the pout quickly becoming a smile. "…Yeah. I admit it. This is really kind of awesome!"

"I _told_ you!" Evie slapped her friend's shoulder and giggled happily.

"Honey's so cute! And he was right in front of me! _Giving me cake!"_ Mary girlishly held her heart.

"I knew you were holding it in!" Evie snapped her fingers.

"I had to!" Mary interjected. "Can you imagine? I would've hugged him into a thousand pieces."

Evie laughed at Mary's expense and repeated how much she 'knew it' with a little jig.

Mary crossed her arms and her weight shifted to one hip, back to her sassy, grumpy self. "This was all well and good, but what are we supposed to do for the physical exams coming up? Stand by and gawk like all of the other girls not named Haruhi in this show?"

Evie stuck out her tongue. "Ew, no!"

"Well?!" Mary said, exasperated. "Unless we go after Yabu, that's all there is to do…"

"Fine!" Evie relented, wrenching the bag away from Mary. She found the Flashmatic without difficulty and puffed the bangs out of her face with a deep breath. "Okay! So how do we skip ahead?"

"Wait! That made us—!" Mary made a wild grab, but she was too late.

The colors around them sped ahead, and without much warning, tiles were under their shoes and they were surrounded by pillars and air conditioning. The girls regained their balance and held their upset stomachs.

"Really sick…" Mary finished her previous thought, waves of nausea engulfing her.

"Mm… Yeah, I forgot," Evie admitted, holding her aching head.

Eyes still shut tight, Mary blindly grabbed around until she found the Flashmatic. She pulled it out of Evie's grasp and jammed it back in their bag.

After a few minutes, the girls were feeling well enough to explore the part of the school they were in. It was devoid of any kind of human activity, but the low rumble of hundreds socializing wasn't too far off. Before long, Evie and Mary found themselves in a mass of students all walking in one direction.

"We look strange…" Mary observed, as did many other students. Their clothes made them stick out like cupcakes in a sea of blue and yellow pastel dinner mints.

"If we get separated, at least it'll be easier to find each other," Evie thought optimistically.

Forced to agree, Mary nodded and continued on through an open doorway. She recognized it as the same long aisle where countless nurses and doctors would be lined up to assist the students. "Maybe we better get out of the way. I'd hate to get examined by mistake!"

"Eek!" Evie squeaked in fear, quickly following Mary's lead and winding their way horizontally across the lines of students. After a few nudges and apologies, the girls were in the clear in a vacant corner. "So… what do we do now?"

"Well…" Mary thought with a hand to her chin. "Besides finding Yabu, we'll have to be able to help him. How do we get our hands on maps of schools in the area?"

"Front desk?" Evie shrugged.

It wasn't difficult to find assistance at Ouran. The girls found a supervisor, and from there, they made their way to an information desk where a handful of smiling secretaries were ready to help.

"Having trouble finding your examination rooms, ladies?" A sweet faced girl closer to their age asked politely, beaming with servitude.

"Uh, actually…" Evie mumbled, unsure of how to go about asking for maps without causing suspicions.

Mary didn't care about raising suspicions, so she took the initiative and talked over her friend. "Yeah, hi. Can we get some maps of the local schools?"

The woman looked confused. "Having trouble… finding… your school?"

"No, it's purely conversational," Mary explained with a wave of her hand. "Besides, I'd really hate to go into detail."

Evie was about to scold her for being so rude, but the woman acquiesced and hurried off to fill their request. Now, Evie was full of praise. "Wow, you make a good rich kid! Like you've been doing this all your life or something."

"Well, I didn't think rich kids would necessarily be all hunky-dory with the staff asking intrusive, tiresome questions," Mary shrugged.

"Your sass makes you good at being a spoiled brat," Evie teased. Mary's response was to stick out her tongue in defiance.

The woman returned, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder and replacing her plastic smile before addressing them. She had a few brochures in her hands that she placed on the counter. "Here you are! Are these suitable?"

Mary and Evie browsed through the pamphlets, shrugging and nodding as they did so. Evie spoke first: "Sure! They look great; thanks!"

After giving her a sharp jab with her elbow, Mary picked up. "Yes, they'll do."

"Glad to be of service," the woman bowed.

Once they were out of earshot, Evie started to complain. "I think you're too good at being a snob… that hurt!"

"Sorry," Mary sincerely apologized. "But if our outfits don't raise questions, they'll be asking about how sugar-coated we are. Okay! Now to find Yabu. Any ideas?"

"Guess we've got to start with that girl who got 'attacked,'" Evie made air quotes around the last word.

"That's right!" Mary snapped her fingers. "If we find her, we'll find Yabu easy-peasy."

"Your slang today is very strange."

"Wait, is that him?!" Mary frantically pointed to a hunched man in a lab coat rounding a corner out of sight.

"Only suspicious types who move the plot walk like that!" Evie agreed triumphantly. "Let's get him!"

The girls dashed across the room, dodging students and nurses alike. A few shouts and shrieks of surprise trailed behind them as they rounded the bend and ran like bats out of hell towards the messy lab coated figure.

The man heard the rapidly thumping footsteps and turned around just in time to utter an exclamation of alarm before Mary and Evie had tackled him to the ground, a cloud of previously nonexistent dust blowing around them. When it settled, it revealed both girls pinning the man to the ground by the shoulders.

Yabu looked back and forth between them in fear. "Wh-what's going on?! I didn't do anything!"

"No, but you were about to freak the hell out of someone by touching them. You don't _do_ that," Mary scolded, her voice more commanding than usual.

"Here," Evie handed the befuddled man the brochures. "These are maps of the area. Your daughter doesn't go here. She goes to one of these public schools."

Yabu blinked in confusion, staring at the maps under his nose. He finally decided: "I… I can't take them. You're on my arms."

"Oh."

The girls released him, and they all rose to their feet without any sustained injuries. They were forced to repeat their explanations in a more civilized manner, since Yabu was so shocked and slightly in fear of his life by the way they grabbed him out of nowhere.

"Thank you, girls. Very much," Yabu made a short bow to them, walking away down the hall towards the nearest exit.

"Next time try the information desk like a normal person!" Mary said. "Wandering around a school could get a man arrested…"

"You're mean," Evie frowned, crossing her arms.

"You're right – I think I'm having too much fun with it," Mary admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. She hiked up the shoulder bag.

"Okay!" Evie's eyes lit up as her plan went back into action. She clenched her fists in excitement. "So now that that's out of the way – what do we do?"

"Gawk at the—"

"No!" She refused, interrupting her from suggesting it again. Evie grabbed the beige Ouran tote from Mary, wrapping it around her own shoulders as she posed for an adventure. "We can explore! See what there is to see. We have a whole empty tour of Ouran at our disposal! We can—"

"Hey, you there!"

Both girls jumped and turned in bewilderment to see a pair of male nurses rapidly approaching them. They didn't appear too happy, and their long aprons made them look like murderous butchers. They stopped before the main duo with arms crossed. "Skipping out on the exams, eh?"

"Huh?" Both Mary and Evie gulped in unison.

"All students are required to take the physical exam," the second, calmer man stated. "We must ask you to return to the facilities immediately to be sorted for your recordings."

"But we don't even—" Evie was about to argue, but even Mary didn't have time to stop her from spilling the beans before a couple of female nurses suddenly appeared.

"Come with us, please," they smiled. Their eyes dangerously flashed.

"Run!" Mary commanded, pulling Evie's arm along with her in the opposite direction.

"Hey!"

"Stop!"

"No need to be afraid—!"

"—Just an exam!"

"Wait!"

Puffing and dodging more students who were staring at them like they were raptors on a rampage, Evie and Mary found themselves at the end of the wide hall with two options.

"Left!" Mary cried, veering quickly.

"No, right!" Evie shouted.

"Okay!" Both girls agreed with one another. Not realizing their mistake, Evie made a mad dash for the left hall, and Mary went right.

Mary's shoes squeaked against the linoleum as she turned another corner. She was sure she should have come full circle by now and would wind up right where they wanted her in the main room. Their thudding feet were still close behind her in pursuit. _But where could she go?!_

She found a side door, and she turned the handle and pushed without further debate. Mary quietly shut it behind her, hoping it would go unnoticed. When she whirled around, there were rows upon rows of white curtains. Or rather, perfect places to hide.

"Did she go in here?"

Shivering at the voices behind the door, Mary took off running again. She tumbled through the curtains and fought her way through. She batted them away as much as she could, but Mary tripped up at the finish and came crashing down with a yelp, pulling a tall white curtain divider with her.

Eyes rolling from the collision, Mary managed to pull herself up and untangle herself from the curtain before inspecting her surroundings. When she did, two shirtless gingers were watching her from above.

"Ah!" Mary screamed, backing away until she was against the wall with her hands over her eyes. "Jesus Christ, put some clothes on!"

"It's not our fault you attacked our changing room," Kaoru's casual voice said.

"Maybe she's just a pervert, and she didn't get a good look earlier when we had our measurements taken," Hikaru suggested.

"I don't think Peeping Toms cover their eyes, Hikaru," Kaoru argued.

"Are you wearing clothes yet?!" Mary shouted, frustrated she couldn't see during this conversation about her.

"Don't worry, it's rated G again," Hikaru haughtily sniffed.

Mary peeked between her fingers and saw that the twins were straightening each other's ties in their full uniforms. She breathed a sigh of relief. _Still, of all the places to wind up… it had to be the twin terrors._

"So the boss is your favorite," Hikaru sparked conversation once again, squatting down to her level.

First intimidated by his closeness and his eerily feline amber eyes, Mary was immediately angered after registering his words. "Wh-what?! Who said that?"

Kaoru squatted down next to his brother, both of them shrugging in sync. "We tend to overhear things."

"It's one of our many talents," Hikaru added with a nod.

"Overhear?!" Mary was still speaking at an unholy decibel. She went back over conversations she had in her mind, and if anything, they should be suspecting her of favoring Honey… So who brought up Tamaki? _Who would _know_ to?_ "Evie!"

The twins seemed satisfied with her realization, smirking at her in victory.

"Evie!"

The second exclamation was less vengeful than the first. In fact, it was panicked. Mary leapt to her feet in a flash, looking around like a lost puppy. "Oh, no! I lost her! We were running from those doctors, and…!"

"Running from doctors?" Kaoru asked, more realistically concerned than his twin.

Hikaru seemed more interested in the possibility they were pulling a prank of some kind and had gotten caught. "What did you guys do?"

Both boys were startled when tears welled up in Mary's muddy brown eyes, her hands clamped over her mouth. Evie was somewhere off in Ouran. _Possibly caught!_ And what's worse – Mary was all alone. _Without the Flashmatic!_ "W-What am I gonna d-do?!"

"Hey, chill out," Hikaru ordered. He looked away so he didn't have to awkwardly watch her cry. "She's gonna be fine. It's not like we're in the jungle – this is a school."

"Yeah, she probably just wandered off somewhere," Kaoru said, much gentler and kinder but still unnerved she was suddenly falling to pieces.

"No, I have to find her! Right now!" Mary demanded, quickly moving past them and escaping the curtain room. Sniffling and holding her shoulders in fear and slight embarrassment, she looked left and right down the room and decided on the door she had come through. _Best to retrace her steps._

"What's with the hurry?" Kaoru asked, falling into step beside her on her right.

"Yeah, like I said, relax," Hikaru said, hands clasped behind his head on her left. "You're getting worked up over nothing."

"Nothing?!" Mary griped, a glare set on her brow as her pace quickened. "I'm sure if Kaoru suddenly disappeared, you'd be just as concerned!"

"But we're twins," Kaoru pointed out. Both boys were unnerved she had been able to tell them apart again so casually.

"Doesn't matter," Mary shook her head, opening the door and heading out. "I'm just as much of a twin with Evie as you are with each other. It's not about looking like the other or anything superficial like that. It's all in your head."

The Hitachiin twins fell behind, lingering by the door as Mary retraced her steps back down the hall. The wide windows reminiscent of the hall attached to their music room let in buckets of bright daylight, illuminating the entire passage and rendering the crystal chandeliers over their heads useless. They exchanged a curious look with one another.

"Is it?" Kaoru quietly asked, hands in his pockets.

Hikaru's expression soured as his arms fell to his sides. Finally beckoning a hand over his shoulder, he strode after Mary. "Come on."

Though he didn't stop thinking about it, Kaoru kept his thoughts and questions to himself and hurried after his brother to keep up.

* * *

_Now… where… the heck did Mary go?!_

Evie panted, hands placed on her knees as she regained her breath. She stood straight and leaned against the wall, parting the bangs from her eyes.

_Dang, this sweater is hot…_

Remembering the bag around her shoulder, Evie looked down and riffled through it to find the Flashmatic. Tongue sticking out in concentration, Evie thought of a blue T-shirt and tan shorts before she aimed the Flashmatic at her person and pressed the correct button. Refreshed in the more breathable outfit, she sighed. "Phew… much better!"

Evie looked around her, satisfied she had lost the nurses and doctors long ago. Being a sports champion had its perks. She opted to carry the Flashmatic in her fist as she began to walk further down the hall.

The high-vaulted ceilings and lit atmosphere were as breath-taking as ever. With a quick peek into a closed classroom, a few star charts and high quality telescopes told her it was an astronomy class. _Cool!_

"Eh…" Evie closed the door, hearing it click shut. "This was supposed to be more fun with Mary here. No one's complaining…"

She chuckled at her own wit and continued on down the hall. The buzz of conversation came to her ears, and she proceeded with caution. Poking her head around the corner, she was surprised to find only one person in another empty hall.

Evie wasn't quite sure how to go about a greeting, and by the time she was mulling one over, she was already leaning against the window sill next to him. The best she could come up with was eventually: "Hi."

"You've been creating quite a fuss," Kyoya offhandedly reprimanded her, looking over his previous pages of notes. He clicked his pen and wrote a correction.

Evie puffed the bangs from her face again, juggling the Flashmatic between her hands. "Haha… Yeah. We don't go here, so I hardly need an exam! Your doctors?"

Kyoya fiddled with his glasses. "Yes. They're part of my family's specifically chosen hospital staff."

"I get the feeling you don't like me knowing things," Evie rightly guessed with a small smile. The Flashmatic landed in her left hand, and she kept it there. His silence proved her correct. "I guess I'd be weirded out if a couple of crazy people suddenly appeared with infinite knowledge, too."

"I never said that," he corrected her, but he went ignored - much to his annoyance.

"Especially if they knew so much personal stuff. Yeesh," Evie laughed. She took a deep breath and stared across the hall through the open door where doctors and nurses were with groups of students on scales and behind curtains. "Done with your exam?"

"Aren't you supposed to know?"

"Cheeky," Evie commented. "But fair enough."

Kyoya closed his book with a _snap!_ Evie pretended not to notice his unease and the rising tension in the air as his frown deepened. "I don't know who you're supposed to be, but I decided to give you and your friend the benefit of the doubt at Tamaki's request. If the decision was mine, I wouldn't have tolerated such wild claims. Furthermore, if I suspect anything underhanded, don't think I'll hesitate to end it."

Evie finally looked at him and studied him closely. Sure she was about to say something about how 'cryptic' he was, or even make a threat of her own, Evie said something completely unusual. "I was thinking about what it means to be human."

Kyoya blinked, using every faculty known to him to restrain any signs of showing the great amount of confusion he felt. He wound up biting his tongue as she continued.

"I thought it'd feel different," Evie looked down at her free hand, closing and opening it. "But it doesn't really. At all… I thought I'd be crazy and all over the place and static. Two-dimensional. Flat and narrow minded. But I don't feel any different from how I normally feel in my own world."

_There she was going on about worlds again._ Though he couldn't place these two girls by any resources he had access to, Kyoya was sure they were escaped asylum convicts of some kind. His fist tightened at his side. _Mental!_

Evie gave him a warm smile, taking him aback. "I guess that just goes to show the medium doesn't limit you. Your world can be just as real as mine!"

"_Evie!"_ A scream cut across the hall, and Mary was upon Evie faster than either of them could blink. The twins appeared behind Mary at the end of hall, not up for running like maniacs to regroup.

"Ah! You're squishing me like I'm Honey!" Evie giggled as she tried to pry Mary off of her.

"It was so scary by myself!" Mary whined but finally freed her friend. She turned to the twins with a condescending glare. "Well, I wasn't _all_ alone. These goons have been following me."

"Hey!" Both Hikaru and Kaoru objected, eyes burning in anger.

"Hey, where's everybody been~?" Honey called from Mori's shoulders as they exited the exam room full of noisy students. "Everybody healthy?"

"Yeah," Mori assured him, his black hair getting squashed by Honey's folded arms.

"Mary~!" A wild Tamaki appeared and used tackle.

Mary shrieked at his sudden proximity and batted him away, soundly punching him in the jaw. Tamaki gasped and recoiled, tears hanging in the corners of his eyes as he held his wounded cheek and pride. "That's no way to treat your favorite!" He accused.

Her jaw dropped, but to Evie's relief, Mary turned her ferocity on the twins. "You told him?! Do you realize what that's going to do to his ego?!"

"Like it wasn't big enough…" Evie shrugged, a cartoon sweat drop appearing over her head.

The Hitachiins snickered and stuck their tongues out at her. Mary bared her claws and hissed.

"Okay, that's enough fun for one day!" Evie laughed as she restrained her friend.

"So…" Tamaki was already back for another beating. Rose suddenly in his hand and fingers in his fabulous locks of hair as he posed in front of Mary, sparkles surrounded him when he winked. "Was it my charm or good looks that got you, my dear~?"

"I'm gonna kill you!" Mary seethed at the twins who were now dancing as they mocked her. She still couldn't hide her embarrassment as her cheeks lit up like a tomato.

"I know! It was my princely aura!" Tamaki said, spinning on his heel. "No sane woman can resist such a handsome display of selfless love!"

At this point, Evie was having a hard time holding Mary on her own. Honey shouted for Mori to help her, but it was too late. Soon, Mary was chasing the twins in circles with a very confused and jilted Tamaki with a wilted rose in the center.

Kyoya watched all of the nonsense with his steady, unwavering gaze. He found himself holding out the palm of his hand. He flexed his fist a couple times and shook his head, a small smile appearing on his lips. He shut his notebook.


End file.
